My Way
by junior-wheel
Summary: She would be a hero if only they let her have her way. Helping Link save Hyrule is a demeaning task, but even between shadow beasts and the princess's lack of faith, an infuriatingly charming chosen one makes Maeva no longer quite so certain of herself.
1. Jumping at shadows

Hiya! Just a heads up for people who might not know, in case you didn't arrive here by way of dmc87's note, the OC of this story was thought up by **dmc87**. In fact, this is a remake of a story she never finished called **Twilight Child**. Her existence came to my knowledge when I found a Raidou Kuzunoha story she wrote (very entertaining, very fresh). I'm a crazy fan of Megami Tensei and she read my Night at the Museum story and it was like a whirlwind romance thing except if by romance you mean super weird amazing friendship, which so far has ended up with me rewriting a story of hers, haha!

Anyway, Twilight Child is still up for reading if you want to compare it with this rewrite. It keeps the same OC, same demeanor, same mostly everything except parts of her back story changed. Not that you would notice, because the back story was never quite revealed in Twilight Child, only hinted at, but if you were a fan of Twilight Child before, please forget whatever past you thought Maeva might have had and read this as though this were a new creation. Thank you!

Please note that though this will begin as a story narrated from the 1st person point of view, as dmc87 had once written it, I am changing the point of view to that of the 3rd once we reach Chapter 4. Please enjoy!

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><p><strong>My Way<strong>

Chapter 1: Jumping at shadows

It's disquieting when the world is all aflame and one can but glance out a window and wait.

The scorching is figurative, of course. Fire would be a welcome sight, but only when a needle pricks the callous finger that has painted the skies a sickly green, an ashen gray, a disease that sweeps past thoroughly like a tetanus, petrifying the body till it falls to the orange rust, the twilight sky.

If there should spill fire – blood – it should be his. This would have been my way.

But it is not the way of the princess, so I stay my hand.

The rain creates a barrier around the broken castle, a fitting shield for its bridled princess. It might be analogous to the cloak he forced her into, but though the castle creaks and falls to its knees for the weight of the wicked twilight, Zelda remains steadfast, elegant, as though the hairs and claws of those corrupted creatures, lashing hungrily at the light, might be doused by her hope.

This is the way of the princess, so I wait in obedience.

"Maeva."

I stand at attention by the door, as instructed, and approach her small figure by the window, gazing into a barren land of black spores and helpless spirits unaware. "Zelda?"

"Where is Midna?" she asks, her inflection possessing both despair and hope, a patient determination. I don't understand them.

"I…am uncertain," I answer, half-expecting her to appear with a spin and a high-pitched giggle. But the room remains silent, the candle wick cut too short to maintain any flame, and the rain patters on, its beauty existing in its distinct ignorance of the entropy devouring the world. "She mentioned a presence, and dove into the shadows."

"As she is wont to do," says Zelda, eyes glued to the door frame.

"This is her way."

There is a scuffling through a window above and then a black beast at Zelda's feet. Suddenly, only my staff stands between its muzzle and her delicate figure, but it is immediately withdrawn. It's Midna, her visible red eye flashing from under her helmet. She sits cross-legged on the beast, grinning as she does, her Twili symbols glowing a calming clover, her fiery hair as bright as any flame.

Nearly hidden under her cloak, Zelda's eyebrows furrow. "Midna?"

Midna giggles. "You remember my name?" Such frivolity. "What an honor for me… Maeva, look!" Her tiny finger bounces on the beast's head. Its ears perk up and a suspicious expression glances its countenance.

The beast is a wolf, a calculated palette of black, white, and a shade of the deepest emerald, only just visible under the light of Midna's hair and stark against its shocking cerulean eyes, staring as though it possesses thoughts beyond the feral. There are white markings of some sort between its eyes, almost like a painting, but it may only be a birthmark. How odd that it should wear an earring on its left ear. That it has not ripped Midna into shreds should come as no surprise, however. She has always been skilled in convincing others to her will.

"So this is the one for whom you were searching." Zelda speaks softly when she sees that I have nothing to offer Midna.

"He's not exactly what I had in mind, but…" Midna ruffles the fur between his ears with a laugh. "I guess he'll do!"

I manage to tear my gaze away from the wolf's. Sometimes I forget that my eyes are not as fearful as Midna's. I ask her, "Where did you find it? …him, rather?"

"The dungeons. He was captured by the shadows." So even a lordly beast such as this was unable to evade them.

"You were imprisoned?" Zelda meets the wolf's eyes head on. "I am sorry."

Midna pats his head again. "Poor thing!" she cries dramatically. "He has no idea where this is or what's happened… Would you care to explain, Maeva?"

The wolf glances at me, almost expectantly, if I would venture a guess to its thoughts. "No."

"You should say more with that pretty mouth of yours," Midna replies, grinning in the manner she knows drives me mad. She doesn't watch me for my reaction, turning instead to Zelda. "So, don't you think _you _should explain to him what you've managed to do? You owe him that much…_Twilight Princess_!" she giggles ecstatically.

Long ago, the kingdom of Hyrule was home to the power of the gods, hidden beneath its lakes and volcanoes and plains. But it has been conquered by the self-proclaimed king of Twilight, thrust into the shadows with beasts who, Zelda says, shun the light. That cannot be gainsaid. The wolf listens to Zelda's story intently, nodding at certain portions where she pauses, almost as though he actually understands her. Could it be – he was not a wolf after all? I wouldn't find it so difficult to believe. I have never seen a beast that dons accessories, or who narrows his eyes at Midna when she speaks patronizingly to him.

"The kingdom succumbed to Twilight, but I remain its princess. I am Zelda," she finishes, inclining her head towards him. The wolf lowers his head as well.

"You don't have to look so sad!" Midna smiles, and then glances at me. "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean…is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"

"Midna," Zelda almost scolds, but her tone is calm, still. That's the difference between them: Zelda keeps herself to a strict moderation while Midna allows her thoughts and opinions fly loose. Yet they are both able to capture the ears of their people. Or they did, once. "This is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you – why is this?"

Midna stops to meet my eyes for a moment – _not a word_ – and then laughs. "Why indeed? You tell me!"

Zelda expects an answer from me, but I am preoccupied with the window whence Midna and the wolf came. This is their argument. She shakes her curiosity away and glances at the door again, an index finger tapping against her cloak like the second hand on a clock. "Time has grown short," she says. "The guard will soon make his rounds. You must leave here, quickly."

"And you?" I ask.

"They come only to reassure themselves of my captivity," Zelda answers, returning to her position by the window. "Now, leave. There is much hope for you – in him."

Midna and her beast have already leapt through the window, their shadows skirting its edges thanks to her fiery hair. "The wolf? Really?"

Zelda nods. "Please. The guard comes. You may yet save us from the Twilight."

Enlightenment fills me for a fraction of a second, until a candle light illuminates the stairs below the doorframe and there is the familiar thumping of a boar's metal boots. I will save them from the Twilight.

"Maeva! _Today, please_?" I hear Midna shriek in the Twili language from the window.

"Yes," I reply, though only I can hear it, and climb in through the narrow window, trying my best to keep my staff from clanging. Why do I have trouble? If I should know a thing, it would be to flee.

The window leads to a ledge unseen from anywhere in the castle. The rain has ceased, but I rather wish it hadn't. In my mind's eye, it had begun to wash away the black, or at least for a little while removed the sounds of the shadow kargarok, swooping about the castle with their blasted horns. But this should be enough, and I should no longer need a shield with which to hide my face.

"Well, you'd have to be my servant, and like a servant, you'd have to do exactly as I say! Why don't you go back, take a little time, and give it some thought?" Midna laughs, pretending to tap her chin in contemplation as she floats before him, as though the wolf should emulate her example. What is she talking about…? In any case, I repress a chuckle as the wolf slightly glares at Midna.

At my curious expression, Midna replies, "I'm taking the wolf back to where he first took on this form."

I rise. "I will join you."

Although, it pains me that I should do the accompanying rather than be accompanied, as the case should be, if I am to save Hyrule. Again, I am reduced to a guardian. It isn't a role I take willingly this time.

Midna pouts. "So eager to leave that princess?"

I nod. "My princess's orders."

Midna giggles before managing a twilight portal. I open my eyes to a small spring, clear water shimmering from the earth above to a reflection of the sky below, glinting like gold under the fading sunlight. My ankles feel ticklish and I see tadpoles, younglings swirling about them, curiously pressing at my unmoving form until I raise a foot to move, and then they dart off, swirling deep into the swaying reeds until they are out of sight. It is only after this that I hear Midna speak. I glance at the wolf, but realize she is gone – of course. But there are still eyes under his shadow.

"Where do we go?" I ask.

"Looks like this is his home," Midna answers, coming out of the wolf's shadow and tapping his head, an act he understands as an order to move forward. We leave the spring, to a road that stretches down a grassy patch to the left and a hanging bridge to the right – and past that is a doorway, a road to the Twilight that stretches closer to the spring every day.

We go far from the bridge, down the grassy way into a short clearing home to a two-story house sitting before a poorly crafted set of dummies and bullseyes for target practice. I wonder who would live so close to the Twilight and still remain unaware?

**_LINK_**, Midna struggles but is able to read the board next to it. There's no sign of life within the house, even as Midna, the wolf and I stare into its dark windows. Perhaps the owner has already become a shadow beast, the light devoured by his followers.

The wolf soon turns away, perhaps losing interest, and leads us into town, where houses are built mostly on hills equidistant from each other. Half the town is a lake, tall stones planted as stepping stones between the earth and sky, and the other half a set of scattered makeshift farms. They only grow pumpkins, and cuccos prowl the area like watchdogs. Lighting the town are torches positioned few and far between. It's a beautiful place. I can see why one would want to save it, if this were his home. But the fear surrounding it is palpable, so thick that even its villagers can hardly move about. In fact, I see only a few from where we stand at the village entrance.

"You weren't the only one who disappeared, were you?" I ask the wolf, kneeling beside it. He shakes his head. I stand, surveying the village once more. He comes into view from below me, slowly walking into the village as though it is his first time here. He sniffs around, stopping by a cat standing at the nearest house. They stand still for a moment, him growling and the cat purring, and then the wolf appears to be finished with their – what was it? A conversation? – and nears the tall stone by a mill. There is a man atop it, so frail and hunched that I thought him an old woman until he started screaming at the sight of the wolf. Why did he leave the safety of his home to stand there, in the darkness, all sides vulnerable? In any case, his screams force the wolf to retreat back to us, out of the darkness.

"Their fear prevents them from recognizing one of their own," I say."Perhaps I should go into town."

"The wolf and I will look for a sword and shield!" Midna declares, "For me, of course."

"Of course."

"Distract them, since you can fit in," says Midna, the usual spite absent from her tone; she must be in deep thought. In any case, she returns to the wolf's shadow. "Gather information about what might have happened to his friends. Can you sense his worry?"

"Yes. It's haunting," I mutter.

The wolf's shadow flickers as Midna shudders and her eyes flash. "We'll meet back here at the entrance, all right?"

Distracting the villagers should be easy enough; they're already panicked enough to start jumping at shadows, though they are right to. I reveal myself beside a torch, near the whimpering man on the stone pillar. He catches me as soon as the light lengthens my shadow and screams, tearing the leaf off a plant growing at his feet and holding it like a ward.

"Who—who are you?" he shouts, his voice shrill with fear. "Don't come any closer!"

I wonder what a leaf can do, but I do not draw my staff. "I'm a simple traveler," I tell him. "I stumbled upon this village and thought I might find lodgings when I saw you…on this hill. Screaming."

The man drops the leaf and falls to a crouch, rubbing his face with his hands in a half-sob. "You don't understand," he says. "My daughter was taken by those beasts…" The memory causes him to break into tears. "Oh, Beth!"

He doesn't notice the wolf leaping onto the stone until he lands. The man screams again – that no villagers come to aid him speaks of either their fear or their apathy to his state – and rolls to dodge the silent wolf, with such momentum that he falls off the stone pillar.

It's of a small height and he isn't really hurt, but he groans still and holds his back. "Ugh…why didn't you catch me…" he mutters, glancing up at me.

"I'm sorry," I say as earnestly as I can. But it didn't look as if it would cause enough pain that I might help him. "That wolf – is it one of the beasts that took your children?"

The man decides he is well and jumps up warily, looking around for the wolf, but Midna has directed him to an open window behind the mill in the darkness where human eyes cannot see without their lights. He slumps back in fatigue. "Its companions were worse…They came this morning, took them all – my poor Beth, Talo, Malo, Ilia the Mayor's daughter, Colin, Link the ranch hand – and we couldn't do a thing! Those monsters…ungodly…!"

So the Link who owned that house on the upper hill had been taken. The wolf should be one of them; I wonder which, and how he should become a wolf when all others become oblivious spirits. And why the princess didn't deign to save the realm of Light until he arrived, when I should have been enough.

"I see…this village is unsafe, then."

"Yes, but – but you'll help us, won't you?" asks the man, staring at something behind me. My staff. "That weapon…"

I should aid them. But it isn't like _him_ to send raids to villages twice, so if there is any hope to save their children, it would be to find them instead of waiting here defenseless. I tell the man this, but he doesn't seem to understand, and I'm only able to shake him off when I ask where I might find lodging for the evening.

He points me in the direction of a house across a small brook leading out into the town lake before slumping back beside the stone pillar, so I cross the bridge and find two men, one small of stature and another large, imposing and round, but before I can speak with them, they hurry into the house. The water continues to travel round the mill in circles and I realize – this is the same house Midna and the wolf entered! I have half a mind to follow them and start rambling about whatever comes to mind – I admit my social and conversational skills are not as adept as I would like – but the familiar sound of Midna's giggle that only I, now, can hear despite our moderate proximity reaches my ears and I know they are safe.

There is another house near this one, further up the hill and smaller. A couple is huddled by the torches near what I assume is their home's front porch and as I walk closer, I see that the man is middle-aged, sprightly, but with a bandage around his head, blotches of drying blood seeping through the top. The woman is round – she's with child – but is younger with motherly features. They both seem determined to win the argument they've gotten themselves into. Their shadows reveal little about them. They are quite human, and precariously innocent.

The grass is taller near their home and prickly twigs crunch under my sandals on my way to them, and the sprightly man, alarmed, whips his head in my direction. The shadows still hide me and his eyes are lost to the dark, so I know he sees nothing.

"What was that sound?" he asks his wife, as panicked as the hunched man near the stone pillar but more reserved, his stance like a warrior's. "The children could not have returned, could they? I must go out and search one last time. You get inside the house – the sword that was to be our gift to Hyrule is on the couch."

"But darling, your injuries!" comes his wife's plea as she latches on to his good arm before he can strike off. The other is limp on a sling whose ends wrap around his neck. Far to my right, beside the house, I see Midna floating languidly in the air. She puts a finger to her lips and motions to the wolf, burrowing into the soil beneath the house. They must have heard what I did, as well – and now comes my task.

I step out into the light. This is a small village and they clearly all know each other. This may be why the sprightly man is agitated at my presence and suddenly attacks me – maybe he isn't so innocent after all.

"Foul beast!" he cries, shoving his wife behind him and running towards me with a sword suddenly raised. "I have found you!"

I'm not a_ foul_ beast! But I have little time to argue with him and only draw my staff, ready to deflect his weapon, but he stops himself and skids to a halt as he nears me and sees that I look human, like him.

"Oh! Rusl!" The woman gasps, approaching us and shaking her head at her husband. She turns to me and asks, "Are you all right?"

The husband, Rusl, is not so accommodating. "Uli, stay behind me," he says. She sighs and obeys before he asks his own questions. "Who are you and where are you from?"

"I'm a simple traveler," I tell him the same thing I said to the man. When lying, I was taught, stick to one story. It is much easier to remember, and from experience, left alone with them long enough, we might actually come to believe them. "I stumbled upon this village and thought I might find lodging, but that man on the hill was talking of danger in the province and directed me to…you – you are a warrior."

"That I am," says Rusl, crossing his arms. Behind him and his wife, Midna and the wolf escape the house and sneak towards the village exit. "But you haven't answered any of my questions."

"Yes, forgive me. My name is Maeva." Who would they tell? I will leave this town soon, and I doubt I'll ever return. "I've come from Hyrule. But—"

"Oh!" Uli peeks out from behind her husband. "Have you come to pick up the sword?"

I shake my head. "No, but—"

"The shield!" a cry sounds out, accompanied by the startling _SLAM!_ of a door. I cringe. Denizens of this town like to scream, don't they? The two men who managed to evade me earlier are now nearly hysterical outside. "It's gone! The shield!"

Rusl rushes into his home, forgetting his wife for a moment, and comes out as dumbstruck as the others. "The sword is gone, too!" he calls to the others, who approach us. "Who could have taken it?"

Their eyes fall on me. I say nothing.

"Who is she?" the two men ask.

"I don't know," says Rusl, eyes narrowing. As he ushers his wife into the house and she obeys, taking only one last look at me – I _hate _that, I hate that expression of fear and wonder and resentment when they know not who I am – lies flood my mind, options to what I might say to loose myself of the situation their fear has thrust me into.

"She must be with the wolf!" says a familiar shriek – I turn and see the hunched man, sprinting as fast as he can (which isn't very fast) to join the caucus that seems to have begun. "When it pushed me off the ledge, she didn't move a muscle to help me!"

"The wolf didn't push you," I say. How dare he twist the truth to prove his point! I have no love for this wolf, but it possesses some relation to me, as they believe, and I can't get into any more trouble than this. Two can play at this game. "You screamed and fell off."

"Hanch," the shorter man laughs at him, "is that true?"

"Y-Well-No!" Hanch shakes his head and waves his hands vigorously, glaring at me. "Can't you see? She's even taking the wolf's side!"

"Are you sure?" the large man asks. He may be the only sane one in this town!

"Yes! Why else would she have those weird markings on her?" Hanch points at my bare stomach, which I've foolishly forgotten to cover. I was depending on the night to shield the inscriptions on my flesh; I didn't count on all the humans coming together to notice them…

"You misunderstand—" I try, backing away slowly. "I'm only—"

Hanch's eyes move shiftily before he screams, "Get her!"

"Wait!" I shout in return, which seems to be the only way to catch their attention. They stop in their tracks – rather, Hanch does, because the others were only slowly advancing, since it was clear that I wasn't going to run. "You misunderstand," I say, more clearly and loudly this time. "I'm only trying to help you."

"How? By taking our things?" says Hanch.

"No," I say, and in this darkness I see a glimmer of hope. I'll take my chance because it wasn't given to me. "This is of a larger scale than you can imagine, and in your current state, I doubt you could manage to save the humans taken – your children."

"So you know about the children!" says the short man, his tone exceedingly accusatory.

"This – Hanch – told me about them," I say. "They must have been deposited somewhere. I can find them—"

Rusl is still frowning. "How do we know you're not lying? And what do you mean by _human_? If you have to mention that, then—"

"I don't care anymore!" Hanch screams, picking up a gnarled stick and raising it against me. (Unwise.) "Give me back my daughterrr!"

I deflect the stick with my staff, and Hanch falls on his posterior, the stick flying out of his hands. He whines about it and groans, but I swear I did nothing! The momentum of his attack and the simple might of my staff simply clashed, and he lost.

"Hanch!" Rusl gasps, pulling him up to stand. To me, he shakes a free fist. His only other weapon is his broken arm. "How dare you harm Hanch!"

"I didn't harm him!" I say, and then take a deep breath to calm myself. "He tried to harm me. I was only protecting myself."

"She has a point," says the large man, moving past Rusl and Hanch. The short man only watches. ("Bo…!" Hanch must be indignant that this man would defend me, but can do nothing.) Bo continues, his eyebrows furrowing. "But how do we know we can trust you? The children…My own daughter, Ilia…"

Ilia, the Mayor's daughter, I remember Hanch mumbling, so he must be the mayor. Fitting that the town's leader should be a voice of reason, but I dislike having to explain myself.

I try not to show my hesitation, but I am not a master of my emotions like Zelda and my hand very slightly shakes as I remove the bracelet on my left wrist.

"This is very important to me," I tell Bo, showing it to him, almost choking at the thought of parting with its beautiful string of perfectly cubed emerald beads. "When your children are safe, you will return this to me."

I will make sure they are safe. This exchange – it feels almost honorable, that I should give up my most precious possession as an oath to ransom theirs, but at the same time it angers me that I should share it, that another being should touch what is only mine. When Bo accepts it, I rub my cold wrist in annoyance.

"Where are you going?" asks Bo, when I turn to leave. "Traveling at night is dangerous."

I stop for a moment, my feet standing on the farthest reach of the torch lights. "There are more dangerous things – like the monsters that have your children."

They react violently, save for Bo, but I've already fled into the shadows.

I return to the spring, following my link to Midna, and find her hidden deep under the wolf's shadow. I have little time to pay her mind as a bright, somewhat golden light engulfs the spring, filling me with a sense of hope and wonder. In the brief moment that I can look at its form – it looks something like a goat – without flinching, I see that though it appears solid, its form is made of pure light, characters etched onto its skin like flames. I realize later on that I almost recognize its markings – they are similar to mine, and Midna's, but while our symbols are jagged and uneven, this being's markings are soft, circular, perfect. But it's too early for that and my markings begin to burn, my eyes once more too sensitive to the light. What is this? My body should no longer react to any light in this realm, but still I am forced to squint to lessen the pain.

"O brave youth," it speaks, _sings_, really, and it feels like the melody will haunt me forever. That sounds foolish, but I can describe it in no other way as its voice glows. "I am one of four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Ordona. The black beast you slew was a shadow being, come to seek the power that I wield."

There was a shadow being here? I know it shouldn't surprise me – the blight of his darkness inches closely to this spring, but that it should attempt to taint such a magnificent creature like this infuriates me, though I wonder why a being appointed by the gods themselves (which explains my pain, it is a holy being) was unable to protect itself. The answer comes to me in a memory. Of course – that god's power he spoke of, and that I allowed it to happen—

"My brethren in Hyrule have already had their light stolen by these fell beasts… The entire kingdom has been reduced to a netherworld ruled by the cursed powers of darkness. The blight will not stop with Hyrule," it adds. This is true. "Before long, the entire world of light will fall into the hands of the king who rules the twilight."

The spirit continues its explanation to the wolf, and from the shadows at the gate I listen, too. Ordona says that those transformed by the twilight cannot return to their true forms, but if the wolf returns to Faron Woods, where he was first transformed into what he is now, he might be able to. But only if the wolf is able to revive the light spirit there – Faron.

This must be the hope Zelda spoke of. If I follow the wolf and perhaps aid it – will that save the princess? But why couldn't I be entrusted with this task? Was it simply because of what I did?

Ordona disappears and Midna comes out from the wolf's shadow. She spots me away from the light and beckons, asking, "What happened?"

"The villagers took too much notice of me," I answer. "I promised them I would see to the safety of their children…in exchange for—"

Midna's eyes are latched onto my wrist. When she realizes I've caught her, she bursts into laughter. "In exchange for the bracelet? You really hate that princess, don't you?"

I frown. "I had no choice."

"Really?" says Midna, her spite returning in full force. "What about that staff? You just couldn't give that up, right?"

"I do need a weapon—"

"Tch." Midna rolls her eye before remembering the wolf, staring at us in confusion, and laughs again, waving her tiny hand dismissively. "_Well_, if you want to look like a barbarian, by all means."

I am injured by her attack at my appearance, but I hide it relatively well and lower my head just a little. "Perhaps, but this staff contains power that might defeat—"

"No!" Midna faces me furiously. "Here I am, thinking you're on my side, and there you are praising his magic! Have you forgotten already, Maeva? That same magic—"

"I know," I interrupt, succeeding at refraining from screaming by only so much. I only need her to listen! "But—"

"Listen to me, Maeva." Midna's exasperated tone isn't as effective with her high-pitched voice. "This—"

Midna stops when I glance down, startled. The wolf is brushing against my leg with its tail, attempting to grab my attention. I quirk an eyebrow at Midna, who shrugs and returns to her seat on the beast. "What is it, wolf?"

The wolf stares at me with intimidating eyes before turning his head away, in the direction of Faron woods, completely devoured by the Twilight.

"The Faron Woods you know so well…" Midna reflects, calm once more. "They're covered in Twilight. You may not be able to come back here, but – do you still want to go?"

Almost humanely, a sigh escapes the wolf's lips. Do wolves have lips? In any case, he nods, truly a brave soul. That must be why the princess chose to act upon meeting him – but I'm brave, too. Isn't courage also knowing when to choose one's battles, when to decide to fight another day?

It matters to no one but me, and Midna and the wolf start for the woods. When we reach the barrier, Midna jumps inside. The wolf approaches the Twilight but turns to me, unsure as to what he must do.

"She will take you there," I tell him. After Midna's flaming hair in the form of a human-sized claw shoots out of the barrier and grabs his canine form, I take a deep breath and follow.

I arrive to the sight of Midna fumbling with the sword and shield they stole from the wolf's villagers. I almost laugh when she attempts to wear the shield as a face guard, but I calm myself and approach them.

"Look, Maeva!" she says, waving the sword in the air and dumping the shield on the wolf's face. It's amusing how he stumbles and attempts to remove it from himself, and then becomes pitiful enough that I do it for him. He inclines his head gratefully and glares a little at Midna, who ignores him gleefully as always. "This sword is just like your staff – perfectly crude!" I don't betray my exasperation for the topic, so she continues. "Then again, _he_ gave you that thing to win your favor…but little wolf, do you think this sword can really slay the creatures of the twilight?"

We stare at the wolf, but his eyes reflect only doubt and weariness. I can't blame him. (Midna is heavy, even as an imp.)

Midna continues speaking, her favorite sport, and promises to aid the wolf on her conditions – mostly that he should help us. But why _should _he? What makes me lesser than this wolf, that he, once wholly oblivious to this situation, should accomplish what I, one who should know it by heart, cannot?

Midna and my thoughts are cut off as a strange, sad melody suddenly fills the damp air. It glows – akin to Ordona's song – but differently. I've never heard such a sorrowful sound – not even from the bards who belonged in the villages he pillaged before plunging them into the twilight.

Although I already know, I ask, "What is it?"

"It's the lamentation of the spirit that had its light stolen," Midna replies, almost as dazed as I am, but she wipes it clean off her face in favor of another mischievous grin. "Where it could it be? Ee hee hee!"

She glances at me. "Better get going, don't you think? Just in case the wolf tries to blame us for his world's fate if we don't hurry up and find that light!" Midna taps the wolf's head again, harder than usual, and orders, "Come on, then, snap to it!"

The wolf narrows his eyes at her, but as we begin to move, jagged rocks that match the markings of a shadow beast fall all around us, creating a barrier that separates me from Midna and the wolf. Three shadow beasts fall in from the portal I see above, colored red instead of the clover of Midna's markings.

"Aww, we're penned in again!" Midna complains. "Who do they think they're dealing with, huh? Anyway, we can handle it. Stay out of this," she says to me.

"I don't think I was given much of a choice, there," I shout. I must because my voice needs to reach her over the growls of the shadow beasts, nasty, vile and vicious, surely with the intent to kill us on sight. This would be easier if I were in there with them.

I am loathe to admit it, but the wolf seems to manage, with Midna's instructions. The wolf digs his claws into the ground, bracing himself, and then she causes a circle of shadow to expand from where they stand, growing in girth until all three shadow beasts are in range. Midna releases her hold, and the wolf is sent flying to one shadow beast after another, tearing their masks off and sending them back up the portal whence they came.

"See?" Midna says proudly when the barrier is lifted as well. "I told you he could do it."

"Nothing I couldn't have done," I mutter.

Midna grins. "Right. Close that portal for us, would you, o mighty one?"

I say nothing and raise my staff to the air, concentrating on the portal until the stark red against the gray is filled in by that calming clover green, and then return it to the sheathe on my back, pretending that it took none of my energy. That moment – when I interacted with_ his_ portal – it was as if he saw me. Almost. But I'm faster. I've always been more lithe, at least, if not more powerful, and now that portal is for our use only, despite whose power I wielded.

Faron spring comes before the woods. It would look much like Ordona's were it not for the twilight, and at our arrival, the light spirit emerges to speak, to sing. I can gaze at it without pain, which is sad. It glows, in a form that resembles a monkey curled into itself, even in the twilight when the shadow beings have stolen its glory, but the light it gives off is mute, weak, like an empty placeholder for what was lost.

"The drape of shadows…" Faron speaks, weakly, as someone gasping for breath, "it is called twilight. It is a place…where the dark ones and evil creatures dwell…I am a spirit of light…Blue-eyed beast." It attempts to puff out its chest, but it is powerless and returns to its fetal position, breathing still heavy. It sighs and continues. "Look for my light…retrieve the light stolen by the dark beasts, and…keep it in this vessel."

A small object, like a string, appears in the air before us. There are leaves skirting its edges, but through it there are spherical beads, empty like glass. I take it, examining it closely, but if the spirit notices, it gives no indication, instead adding that the light the dark beasts stole from it are still somewhere around the area, hidden in beings that have taken the form of insects.

I follow the wolf out of the spring. This really is his home; he navigates it so well. I know how forlorn he must feel, seeing his home like this when he knows it can be so much more beautiful. Soon after we leave, an insect that glows a little more than everything else in the area burrows into the soil. I can feel it digging through the dirt, because though its holy light hardly causes my markings to burn, I can still feel my hairs standing on edge.

My staff possesses a narrow, thin but sharp crystal edge. I hurl it at the insect as it crawls out of the soil some ways away from where it entered. It dies slowly, releasing a pitiful croak and a blue sphere of light – which enters the Vessel on my wrist. My precious bracelet is on loan, perhaps, for now, but the Vessel fills the cold air there and works fittingly as a replacement for the time being. I turn around, opening my mouth to declare my victory, when another sphere of light enters the Vessel.

Oh. The wolf defeated one, too.

"Hee hee, disappointed?" Midna asks, staring at me.

"For what reason?" I reply, but I don't meet her gaze.

The wolf leads us through tall rocks into a clearing with a hut and a cauldron, right before the woods. The hut is locked, but there are bugs inside and Midna demands a way in. We decide to separate to hasten the process – I'll go to the Woods, where the rest of the bugs seem to be, while they will find a way to enter the hut and hunt down the bugs. The way to the woods is blocked by a shackled gate, but nothing stops me from climbing over. I make my way through a dark cave filled with keese and spiderwebs, but the shadows cause me no problem and might even be cozy, if only his twilight didn't hang over my head like a loosening guillotine.

The woods thicken immediately outside the cave path, but past a few steps and a bridge extending out to the descending forest, I can see nothing but a thick miasma, a swirling of regalia-colored air. I foolishly attempt to cross it, but as soon as I step foot into the fog, it forces its way through my senses, invading, causing my throat to constrict and my eyes to water. It smells distinctly of death, like burning houses and slaughtered humans, drowned sewer rats and _twilight_, the wicked kind. My vision blurs and I feel vomit rising in my throat, but I manage to crawl out of the poison gas, coughing and rubbing my throat as though it will stop the gas from clawing at me from the inside.

I sit blankly for a moment before I remember the task at hand. As if the miasma has sharpened my senses, I set the pain aside and see a set of hollow tree trunks a little ways from the bridge. I take a few steps back and allow myself a running start, then jump forward. Will it still work, when I have the form of – I land on the trunk in relief, high above the miasma, but I can't stop while the momentum is with me and continue jumping towards where the Vessel pulls me along, humming against my wrist whenever we come near an insect. Some of its bulbs light up instantly without warning – Midna and the wolf's work, obviously.

What in the…? I reach the edge of the forest, past a clearing and into an area that goes up a set of more hollow trunks that lead into some sort of temple – and there are Midna and the wolf, leaping towards me as if they arrived long before I even laid eyes on the place!

"Midna? Wolf?"

"Maeva," Midna yells, "the bug!"

The Vessel hums, shaking. This is the last one! Below me, running past me – I extend and strike the staff into the ground, and then that croak – the blue light enters the Vessel, which unlatches itself from my wrist and starts spinning, swirling in the air, its light spreading in every direction as far as the eye can see. I back away with a yelp – I've never seen anything so pure and beautiful. I soon close my eyes, unable to withstand the light, but even past my eyelids it shines, blinding, and then I am deafened.

For a split second, I am trapped within the light, unable to move, but it's a peaceful feeling, an eternity I would not resist. And then I'm drenched from the waist down, sitting in Faron spring in a daze. Twilight no longer haunts the place, and now Faron sings a pleasant, calm melody, puffing its chest out as it breathes and glows as it should, the waters surrounding it seeming to pulsate with life as well.

Faron notices us – or does it only notice the wolf? – and smiles. I can't see its face, but I know it smiles. "My name is Faron, one of the spirits of light who dwell in Hyrule. I use the life force of the gods to protect this forest. O brave youth…" So he only sees the wolf, who suddenly shines so brightly that I cannot look upon him, either. "In the land covered in twilight, where people roam as spirits, you were transformed into a blue-eyed beast…"

The light surrounding the wolf fades. A human now stands before me, his back turned, and so the first thing I notice is his golden hair.

I notice that they fall gracefully down behind his ear as he turns his head side-to-side and I can see his sharp profile, looking around, taking in his surroundings, perhaps, as a human again. On one of his pointed ears he still wears that blue earring, which embellishes his deep cerulean eyes. His lips part in amazement as he stares at his hands, flipping them over in disbelief. I suppose that for someone like him, it would be surprising and relieving to find that you are in your _true_ form again…his hands. They appear callous, rough; he must do a lot of hard work.

I stand corrected when I thought that there was nothing more beautiful than the light. He must have the endurance of a warrior with his build, tall and broad-shouldered and full, not skinny in the least. When I finally catch his gaze, I look away and notice instead red cheeks against his smooth flesh, but it is only when Midna giggles uncontrollably that I comprehend why they are such a shade.

He is unclad, and embarrassed about it. I feel my face flush now that I've come to the same realization – I've never seen a human so _bare _before – and turn away as he opens his mouth to speak. In any case, he wouldn't have been able to. The light spirit, Faron, speaks once more.

I find myself staring into the clear water…at my own reflection. Unruly ebony hair falls short until the nape of my neck. Hazel eyes reflect nothing but a desire to right the suffering I have caused the beings – foolish as some might be – of this world, to become its hero . My lips, unevenly colored and still healing. Ever since they became pink, red, even, I've developed the unruly habit of picking them, pulling off the skin when I'm agitated or simply in deep thought, an act my wrist would have once been slapped for. My skin color was given to me this way, and I've not been able to do a thing to improve it, having stayed mostly with Zelda or in the shadows while Midna gallivants around the realm and forbids me from joining her. The pale flesh is vandalized by markings of twilight, the undecided red or violet of healing skin, as though old scars were vacuumed from deep within and heaped onto the surface, though the symbols are neat and precise in their way, not a stroke out of place.

Faron starts to speak of a green tunic, and I glance back at the wolf. The human, rather, now clothed in a green tunic and an oddly-styled hat, the likes of which I've never quite noticed on his kind before.

"His power is yours," Faron tells the human. "His is the true power that slept within you. Your name is Link, and you are the hero chosen by the gods."

Link – the ranch hand? So I was correct. Hero chosen by the gods…

"Brave Link," Faron calls. "A dark power rests in the temple within these woods. It is a forbidden power. Long, long ago, I and the other spirits of light locked it away. Because of its nature, it is a power that should never be touched by any who dwell in the light. But this world weeps beneath a mantle of shadows, and so there is no choice. You must match the power of the king of shadows. If you would seek this forbidden power, then proceed to the temple in the forest depths."

With a last breath of gratitude, Faron disappears.

Link glances back with a small smile on his handsome lips that is all for me. He starts in my direction – I turn to the water. I, the hideously marked murderer. He, the beautiful hero chosen by the gods…

I will not let him best me.

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><p>REVIEW!<p>

I didn't change much from the original flow of events, except how Maeva interacted with some characters. Tell me what you think, new and old readers! I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you, and see you soon!


	2. Barking, never quite biting

Hey everyone! I'm going to try to update this weekly, so please be patient with me! Thanks to those who added this story to their favorite and alert lists! (I wouldn't mind a review, though. ;D)

Okay, so I lied about something. But just a bit. In this chapter, we have Link, Maeva and Midna enlist the help of a smurfette monkey to enter the Forest Temple. First, I'm going to be honest-I've got an insane aversion to writing about dungeons, because people have a tendency to expect the dungeon to be written to the letter. **dmc87** told me that she did as much when she wrote her chapter about the Forest Temple so that it practically came out as a walkthrough, and the lie part is that while I know I should've completely revised this, I took some of her dialogue and moved things around enough so that it's not a walkthrough anymore, but if you notice similarities in dialogue, that would be the cause.

However, though you may not notice it much if you don't look too closely, Maeva from **My Way** is still, in ways, different from Maeva from **Twilight Child**. I'm working on Death Mountain right now (and gracious I'm gagging left and right. that's how much I hate dungeons) and if you played Twilight Princess, you will note that I took recognizable elements from the Goron Mines, but I did not write the dungeon as it was played. LoZ dungeons are way too long for that, I think. You'll see what I mean in this chapter.

Anyway, I hope you read all that... It's important to me so I hope it's kinda a little just a teeny bit important to you too. :)

Please enjoy!

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><p><strong>My Way<strong>

Chapter 2: Barking, never quite biting

I've only ever felt this way once before – trapped like a beast, cornered on all sides, nowhere to run to but where they expect. Link advances, still smiling in that ridiculously approachable manner that would earn him all the hearts of the world, the way a hero should be adulated. I want to leave, burrow deep into the ground like his wolf form somewhere and go far away, where he is not, where I won't be trapped in a shadow like his. I almost prefer the fear of the villagers, but I presume they would only summon Link and then he'll be there again, smiling like that—

To my relief, he halts when Midna flies out of his shadow, giggling. "Well, well," she says, and for the first time in very long, her loud personality is welcome and I am grateful for it. "You're the chosen hero and all that, huh? So _that_'s why you turned into that beast! What a shame…" Midna clicks her tongue. "I mean, maybe you'd rather just wander as a spirit like the rest of them, totally unaware of what was happening for all eternity, right?"

Link's eyebrows furrow as he shakes his head.

"Eee hee hee!" Midna floats over to me. "Just the answer we expected, right, Maeva?"

"I suppose," I surprise even myself by grumbling.

"What did you say?" asks Midna, pretending she didn't hear me.

"Yes," I answer, hoping she'll stop this foolishness soon. I know she only does it to taunt me, knowing I can do nothing. "Just the answer."

"Great! So what do you want to do?" Midna asks Link, but hardly waits for a reply. "Do you want to head to that temple? Well, isn't that convenient? Maeva and I were about to head there ourselves! Hey, look – you want to help your friends, right? The way I see it, maybe they're in the temple, waiting for you to rescue them…"

I've always admired this about Midna – the way she manages to put words together in a way that will force whoever is listening to bend to her will – but then they were both skilled at that. I highly doubt the rest of the children (though Link is hardly a child – he seems older than me, in fact) are in that forest temple, however. Bulblin's raids travel from village to village, taking their prisoners along for each ride out. They wouldn't deposit them somewhere like a temple.

"Well," Midna shrugs, pretending to leave the decision to him, but when it comes to Midna, it only ever _feels_ that way. She is so cunning. "Good luck, Mr. Important Hero!"

Link glances down at his shadow before staring out at the gate in contemplation. Perhaps he does, being the hero chosen by the gods, but _I_ don't have the time to waste.

"Well?" I ask. "What's your decision? You'll have plenty of time to alert the villagers of your return when we finish exploring the temple."

Link opens his mouth to speak, only to shut it again. "I…" he nods to himself. "I will go to the Temple."

"Wonderful," I mutter, dragging my wet person away from the spring. Now that the light spirit is gone and I am left with Link, all I can feel are my waterlogged sandals and cold trousers. I must look terrible. When I hear only myself trudging through the water, I realize he isn't following me. Just what is he waiting for? I ask him this. "Unless you plan to stand there all morning, follow."

When he catches up, I hand him the sword and shield he and Midna earlier acquired. "These will be your weapons. Do you know how to use them?"

"I do," he says, voice louder and clearer than before. It is deep, heady, and truly a man's, but there is a lightness to it that betrays…I don't know. I don't know people here well enough to be able to tell. "Thank you," he adds. "It's a pleasure to finally speak to you in person."

"Isn't it?" I give him a patronizing smile.

He doesn't react. He only smiles, wielding the poor shield and the sword properly. Is he that dull or just naïve? I begin to dislike him. How can anybody keep their composure with the smirk that I presented him?

Now he walks ahead of me. "Come on," he says. "I know the way to the temple."

It would be foolish if you _didn't_, given that this is your home… but I keep that to myself as we cross the road narrowed by tall hills into a grassy area I recognize – the gate that leads to Faron woods, near the hut and the cauldron. The gate is still locked, so I move to jump over it again, but Link swerves left and approaches a man sitting on a log next to the cauldron – a different sort of human. He has caramel skin and thick, curly hair which – to my surprise, Link doesn't seem amazed by at all – houses a nest of multicolored birds, chirping peacefully.

"Coro," Link greets him. "That gate to the Faron Woods – you wouldn't happen to know where the key is, would you?" It's just like a human to unnecessarily ask help from another – then again, this seems to be the way of the princess, as well.

Coro falls off his log as he sees us, scattering the birds off by accident. He squints his eyes at Link, tilting his head slightly, before replying with a relief-filled laugh. "It's the Ordonian!" he says. "You seemed familiar, but then your clothes seemed kinda different, so I got thrown off for a second!" He leans in, motioning for Link to emulate him. Of course, I can still hear him perfectly well. "Listen. Things have been a little rough around here lately, so you should watch your step, okay, guy?"

"Sure, Coro," Link answers. "But do you know how to—"

"Yeah," Coro shakes his head. Another thing about humans – they send such mixed messages. "I have the key. I got kinda scared of all the monsters so I closed it, but…you really wanna go back there, huh, guy? You sure do look geared up for it. Here!" He tosses a small key to Link and sits back, staring at us as if we're a painting to be beheld. He finally notices me. "Oh, hey, guy, who's that girl?"

"This is Maeva," he tells Coro. I don't like it when he says my name – it makes me feel queasy. It must be my growing irritation for him. "Maeva," he says again as he turns to me, motioning to his friend, "this is Coro."

"Nice to meet you, girl!" Coro says with a wave. I have a name, and if he isn't going to acknowledge that, I won't acknowledge his, either. I only incline my head in return for his recognition.

"We have the key, so let us leave. The quicker we achieve our goals in the temple, the sooner we can go our separate ways," I tell Link.

I am unable to see his reaction, as Coro speaks and takes our attention. "Ooh," he laughs. "Bittersweet, isn't she guy?"

I can't help but glare at Coro. "Enough time has already been wasted. Give me the key if—"

"No, it's all right," says Link, and I waves goodbye to Coro. He opens the gate and we enter the tunnel. "I'm sorry about what Coro said," he tells me, the fire lighting up his eyes when he holds up a lantern to light the path. "He doesn't really think before he says things."

"So I've noticed. You call him a friend? He cannot even remember your name."

Link chuckles slightly as we exit the tunnel and come out into the woods. What does he find so amusing? "I think it's just a habit of his to call people guy or girl."

Yes, you _think_. What a surprise. I survey our surroundings with a frown, closing my peripheral vision of Link by scratching beside my right eye. Even without the Twilight, the miasma still persists. What could be the cause of this? And why is there a monkey on that bridge before the miasma, swinging around a lantern that looks exactly like Link's?

The realization comes to me with the shrill sound of Midna's yelling. "You idiot! While you were staring off into dreamland, your lantern got stolen!"

"Midna…" I turn with a finger to my lips and see only her silhouette, her arms crossed at Link. That's right; she can't appear properly in the untainted realm of light. I almost feel pity for the human – I cannot stand it when Midna reprimands me, either – but Link ignores Midna, choosing instead to watch the monkey.

The monkey wears a flower on its right ear. But that is irrelevant (though I am curious about it) and what I should notice is that when it – or she? – swings the lantern around the way it does, the miasma dissipates.

"Maeva." I return to reality as Link calls me, now beside the monkey. Do they know each other? "Are you coming?"

"…Of course," I mutter. Is he implying that I was slowing us down, the way he delayed our departure from the spring earlier? Ugh.

"I helped this monkey earlier, in the twilight," Link says. "I wonder if she recognizes me."

"Midna says beasts possess heightened senses," I reply. "_You_ should know."

Link seems to be content with this answer and says nothing more. How can a human simply accept a barrage like that? This is why it was so easy for that tainted twilight to take over this realm; because they don't know how to fight! This—

"Maeva, look out!"

Link shoves me out of the way with his arm guard and slices at something behind me with his sword. I shake my head in surprise and turn to my left at the sound of something hissing and then dying – a bleeding Deku Baba, its tongue still lashing. Disgusting!

Link offers me a hand. "Are you all right?"

I ignore him and rise on my own. I'm not a _helpless_ human. "I'm fine," I answer stiffly, and direct attention back to the monkey, jumping around and waving at us with the lantern. "Hurry."

It was only by chance that he was looking – but I must remember to watch out for my surroundings, too. It has been too long since I've been out in the wilderness. In any case, what kind of swordsman uses his left hand to wield his blade? This Link is such an oddity. The monkey takes us through the miasma, crawling with Deku Baba that are no longer able to surprise us, for now. When we are safely out of the woods, she drops the lantern and makes a little bit of noise before running off.

"That was bizarre," I comment, and pick up the lantern before Link can. When he looks at me questioningly, I answer, "Should you lose it again."

He says nothing except, "here," when he directs us north of the woods. We pass by a tall length of planks, like a bridge, leaning against a hill, but take no notice of it and pursue the path towards the clearing before the temple. There, a small shop that I'm certain wasn't present before stands. A blue toucan mans it, two cauldrons filled with a red and yellow green mixture, a box in between them where one might drop money.

"Welcome! Hey!" the bird squawks, its voice crackling and extremely unpleasant to the ears. Worse than Midna's shouting. "Buy something! Anything!"

Link curiously approaches the shop, which has nothing to stop thieves from taking its wares, really, and retrieves an empty bottle from his pouch. "A refill of red potion, please," he says pleasantly to the bird.

"No problem!" the birds croaks, takes Link's bottle, and fills the bottle to the brim. We could run now, never return without wasting any money, but that isn't the way of a hero.

"Thank you," says Link, dropping rupees in the box.

I don't see the amount, but the bird seems happy enough about it. "Hey! What a generous young man!"

"Can I have the lantern first?" Link asks me all of a sudden. I start, but give the lantern. He asks for an oil refill and the toucan joyfully obliges.

"Hey! Thank you!" the toucan yells after Link as he gives me the lantern and returns the potion bottle to his pouch. "Come back sometime! Hey!" Link glances back and waves at the bird, agreeing to do just that.

"Sorry about the delay," he says when we leave the shop. "But this potion is useful and the lantern needed refilling."

"Why do you explain yourself to me?" I ask, smirking, but I cut him off as soon as he opens his mouth. "Can you see that?"

Before the way to the temple sits a white, almost golden wolf, just…staring. Its fur billows to an absent breeze, as though it belongs elsewhere and we see only an image part of a greater picture. I walk closer – its one eye is crimson, the other closed and scarred, and it doesn't appear to intend to move at all.

"It blocks our way," I say to Link when he catches up with me, sliding my staff from its sheathe. "I won't stand for obstacles."

The wolf growls at me. Perhaps it understands my intention – but it can't be a being like Link, because this place is no longer under the influence of the twilight. I certainly hope it isn't anything like Link. One hero chosen by the gods vexes me enough. In any case, I'm not afraid of a wolf…

"Maeva, no," Link whispers, pulling my arm back.

I growl at him in turn. "Don't touch—!"

The wolf barks and leaps in our direction – at Link, in particular. Even when I bare a weapon at it, it still attacks _him_?

I turn, preparing an attack in case the wolf has mauled Link to shreds, but – there isn't anyone there.

"Link…?" I call out unsurely. "Midna?"

Nobody answers, not even the golden wolf, which has disappeared along with them.

"Hey! What happened?" I hear the toucan's wings flap towards me. It descends on my shoulder – who gave it permission? – and looks around. "Where did the nice guy and the wolf go? That wolf's been eyeing you two since a while ago, hey!"

"I don't know where they might have gone," I answer, confused.

"Say…What's your name? Hey!"

I gnaw on my lower lip, in reaction to his – it's male, I think – shrill voice in my ear. "Maeva," I reply, since he was curious enough to ask. "The man was Link. And yours?"

"It's Trill, hey!"

"Trill…"

"Yes?"

"Stop screaming."

"Okay, hey," Trill whispers. Much better. "Well, I better get back to my shop, hey…good luck with that Link!"

"And you, with your shop," I say as he takes leave of my shoulder. "Although I wouldn't say this is the best place to market your wares."

"Oh, it's my boss, hey," Trill sighs, flying in place. "He doesn't—"

I sense he is about to tell me more about his life, which would interest me, really, if my companions weren't missing and I didn't need to explore a forest temple on my own. "I apologize. I must go," I say. Trill takes it graciously and bids me goodbye.

I walk through fallen hollow trunks leading to the temple slowly. What should I do? I know what Midna wants, but where am I to find it in this temple, and how? I sit down on a log before the temple entrance and see torches lit inside, through a straight path and something brown at the end of it. A chest, maybe, containing…? Can it really be so easy?

I enter the temple and am sufficiently attacked by two Deku Baba. The trick is to dodge their heads and the saliva dripping through their sharp teeth and go straight to cutting them off their stems. It kills them almost immediately, and I wipe my staff with the leaves in the area. I arrive at what I only _thought _to be the end of the temple – how foolish I am to think that such a large thing could only have a tiny interior like this. And the brown _thing_ wasn't Midna's treasure at all. It is a cage holding that monkey – the girl Link says he aided and the same one who led us through the miasma. She makes noise as she sees me, shaking the bars of the cage she has suddenly been trapped in.

"What in the world are you doing in there?" I ask, but she only continues shouting in her language.

I have no choice but to destroy the cage with my staff. It's much more wieldy than a sword and its crystal was originally intended to augment the magic we possess, but it cannot be gainsaid that the shaft, too, is strong, almost as though it possesses a power of its own.

The monkey cowers as I beat my staff against her cage bars, but soon she is freed. She makes noise – chitters, there you go – and then jumps me in an embrace. I'm unable to stop my nose from wrinkling – she smells filthy, truly an animal. She releases me and disappears into the leaves above, only to return with something in hand. She attempts to crawl up my back – I grunt and try to shake her off, but she slaps me on the shoulder as though telling me to stay still – and tucks something behind my ear.

"What is that? What was that?" I ask, touching something soft and foreign on me as she jumps off, clapping and jumping and chittering.

"Maeva, you're okay," Link's surprised voice interrupts.

I turn around and swiftly brush away my relief with a frown. "You! Where have you been?"

Link stares at me with an odd expression on his face, but he brushes that away, too, and explains himself now that I require it.

"You were in a snowy training ground with an undead swordsman?" I repeat with a disbelieving cross of my arms.

"It's true!" Midna insists, appearing beside Link. Her arms are akimbo, but not a second passes when she bursts into laughter, pointing at me. "Oh, how cute!" she says with a mocking tone, flying over and motioning to what the monkey placed on my ear. I almost forgot it. "I didn't know you were that type, Maeva!"

"What…?" I remove the object from myself and see that it's a flower – one identical to the red one on the monkey, only white. Does that not symbolize purity and goodness? I glance at the monkey, who points at her own flower and claps at me. I must have looked ridiculous, but it is delicate and pleasing to the eye, and I do feel honored that she would give me one to match hers – not that anyone may ever know.

"She must have given it as a gift to you," Link speaks, out of turn as always. "Did you – was that cage hers?" He interrupts himself and motions to the ruined splints of wood.

"How did you know it was a cage?"

"Before…before all this happened, I saved her and a friend from bokoblins. They used something like that until I destroyed it, too," Link explains, turning to the monkey. "Did bokoblins do this to you again?"

The monkey makes noise and appears to remember something. She climbs the vines behind her broken cage and knocks at a stone at the very top, blocking an archway that should lead into the rest of the temple.

"Did you understand her?" I ask Link.

"Not a word," he says with a lopsided grin, and then climbs the vines after the monkey.

Right. Not a word, and we still follow the monkey. I keep the flower she gave me in my pouch, though I know it'll die soon, and dig my fingers into leaves crawling with ants.

Of course, no temple is simple, and no treasure is ever easily acquired. We come upon many rooms, the first of which contains bridges to the doors for the rest of the temple, but the bridges have been cut off and I doubt even I can jump that far like this.

Link has never entered this place, either, if the look of wonder he wears informs me right, which means the burden of leading does not fall to him. I gladly take it up and step forward, approaching the steps towards the center platform. An enormous spider, strikes of black on its white back like lightning and red spots dotting its spindly legs, drops down from the ceiling before I can reach the top.

I jump back in surprise, but stab at its pedipalps – this seems to anger it enough to take a bite at me, but I trip on a step and fall back – I catch myself at the last minute and succeed in a high jump backward. In the brief moment that I am upside-down in the air, I see Link below me, his arms outstretched. Was he going to catch me?

I run past Link, advancing on the spider, which recognizes me as its enemy and strikes at me instead. I jump over it – the limitations of my body are encumbering, but it is still a greater height than Link would ever be able to reach even as he is taller than me – and swing my staff from above like a pendulum, its crystal fine enough to cut it into half.

I don't land as gracefully as I hope, rolling off the platform and falling off into the grass below. Ouch… Now I know how Hanch felt, though this platform's height is certainly taller than his. My elbows would be in worse condition were they not wrapped in bandages, but my tailbone aches and I struggle to rise.

I hear footsteps towards me – Link and the monkey – they can't see me like this! I am not a weakling. I pull myself up on my staff and lean against it, brushing my hair away from my face before going out to meet them near the stairs before they reach me.

"Maeva, are you all right?" Link asks, his eyes wide as he looks me over. "You fell right off."

I ignore him and look at the spider, its body cut in half. "I defeated it, didn't I? Let's move on."

"Wait," Link says, staring. "You have…" He reaches for something in his pouch – a handkerchief? Where did he get that? – and approaches me, coming closer and closer and before I can slap his hand away, wipes the handkerchief on my forehead. He shows it to me afterwards – slime? I shudder involuntarily.

Oh. I wasn't able to wipe the crystal of the spider's viscous blood, which ended up dripping all over my right hand.

"You're welcome," Link grins, stuffing the handkerchief back in his pouch, and walks past the dead spider. I follow him speechlessly, watching him light four torches at each edge of the platform. The ground shakes – the path bridging the platform to the door north of the room rises from the ground.

"Wait," I speak, finally. How could I have remained silent for so long? "How did you take the lantern from me?"

"It fell off your pouch when you fell down the stairs," he explains, handing it back to me. "Sorry."

Taking it, I ignore his apology and return the lantern to my waist, but he's already too busy to notice. Next to the door is a chest –

"A map of the temple?" He shows me the unfurled piece of parchment. I recognize the few areas we passed, but everywhere else looks like indistinguishable twists and turns…

Temples are troublesome.

We move on through the door. I try to keep my short hair from going wild as soon as we enter, because it's an open area that leads into an extension of the forest. My hair is entering my eyes! I sheathe my staff, concentrating on pulling my hair back against my head through my fingers and try to focus on the area. A hanging bridge, almost as long as the Ordon bridge separating Ordon and Faron, sways to the tempest.

Link approaches the bridge – what? Not only is his hair in place; so is his hat! He doesn't even need to try to stop it from flying away!

He stops at the female monkey's noise. She pulls at his leg, jumping, and points across the bridge. I can barely see past the hair loosened by the wind from my fingers, but a bigger creature, gray, like a monkey, but he carries something in his hand that he hurls in our direction – a cyclone that cuts off the bridge cords and essentially, our passage.

How does one hurl a cyclone? In particular, how does a _monkey_ – no, a baboon – come to possess a weapon that throws cyclones?

The baboon beats on his chest, turns his back on us, slapping his red buttocks (how rude!), and runs deeper into the temple.

The monkey runs back into the temple and Link rolls the boulder shut behind us, the last of the tempest disappearing with a wheeze. I slink back against the vine-covered wall, relieved of the calm air within the temple.

"What happened?" I ask the monkey, though I know full well that I won't understand anything she says. "That was…"

"Maybe they had a monkey fight," Midna suggests, still clothed in darkness. "In this state, we can't go any further. We might as well go back and look for another way there!"

"There is no other way."

"Then _make_ one," Midna orders; she is about to fall back into Link's shadow when she stops at the sight of me and covers her mouth with a chortle. "Nice hair, human."

Link glances at me, but I hastily run my hands through my hair. "It was the wind," I groan, still attempting to fix my hair. "And that monkey with the cyclones…"

Link only smiles. "You don't have to explain yourself to me."

Did he just—? He offers to help me up, but I brush past him and return to the center platform. We must find a way to the other doors, but there are no more torches to light and the only way east or west is a rope high above where the bridges should be.

The female monkey climbs the rope upside-down, her feet hanging like hooks against the hemp. Perhaps if we climb that rope and inch towards the other platforms as she has done, why is Link running towards the edge of the platform like a lunatic and jumping—

"You fool, what—!" I gasp, running after him, but I stop myself right over the edge and crouch down, reassuring myself of my own safety. I glance ahead and see that Link has made it across – our friend caught him and swung him to the other side. He waves at me, motioning for me to follow.

"Jump across!" he shouts, "she'll catch you and swing you over. It's safe! Trust me."

Highly unlikely.

I've never jumped without the certainty of landing safely – and never with the help of another. What if the monkey drops me by accident? But Link is heavier than me, I suppose, and the female monkey gives me an encouraging smile, clapping as it swings.

"Jump when she swings towards you," Link continues. That is only logical, of _course _I know this…!

The monkey chitters and starts swinging towards me. I want to close my eyes, but that would be foolish, and I jump—she catches me after what feels like forever falling into an abyss, and throws me onto Link, who deftly catches me and sets me down. As though I needed it! I dust myself off and stop shaking only when I catch Link's grateful expression towards the monkey.

"I told you it was safe," he says to me.

"I…I knew it was," I grumble as he rolls the boulder door past.

We step into the darkness of a caved fork. I choose the right when faced with a choice, always, and we come upon a dead end with many pots. Many pots available for looting – who knows what ancient treasures reside here? I have never been one for greed – if I were, I wouldn't be in this position – but it is up to me to find us food, and if we are to find decent food _and_ lodgings, we will need realm of light currency. They call them rupees; how fanciful.

There are five pots of varying sizes, and Link helps me shake the pots of rupees. He has a larger pouch, so he keeps them, but rest assured, I'll be the one handling our purchases in the future. When we are down to the last pot, I reach my hand in and find that I can't. There is something inside, feathery.

I turn the pot over and shake it when it starts moving on its own all of a sudden and _breaks_. I back off wearily, as does Link. So he isn't all-fearless.

"Phew! Out at last!" this…_thing_ speaks. It possesses the body of a cucco but a human face, only with pink eyes and no hair or eyebrows, just a bulbous shape as the back of its head. It is so…_ugly_. And I know ugly very well. "Gracious," it continues – it seems female. The voice is high and chirpy, and the way she wipes her forehead with a wing… "Once I got in there, I couldn't squeeze back out!" The object turns to me. "You were a big help – thanks!"

I glance at Link for his reaction: to stare at it with morbid curiosity, golden eyebrow tightly furrowed. Even the monkey, who seems to know this place well, hides behind Link with a disgusted look on her face. Seeing no hope in them, I speak. "You're…welcome?"

"Yes, yes…" The object seems to have forgotten all about her previous predicament and looks around. "I've been looking for something in here, you see. Gracious, yes! You must need something here, too. Shall we try working together for a while, fellow adventurer?" Fellow _adventurer_? I didn't think adventurers ever tried entering pots, only to get stuck in them. But I wonder what she would be looking for in a pot, of all places.

"You may not think I look like much," says she, "but I can be quite helpful!"

"I see, how—"

"I can even warp you out of here if you want to leave!"

"No thank—"

"So don't think of me as a burden!" Of course not. "Now let's get started – my name is Ooccoo!" She flaps her wings and somehow manages to fly high enough to land on my shoulder, her claws gripping it tightly. I glance at Link, repressing my horror, but he only bites his lip, repressing his own emotions – is that _amusement_? Amusement! How dare—

"I'm Link," he says, smiling as always. That infuriating smile…! "This is Maeva. We should get going."

I am not amused.

The western path leads to a greater cavern, filled with water and more fallen planks, but these platforms are more closely connected and even Link can jump past them easily. There are two doors, but the monkey leads us to the one farther from the entrance into another room, where natural stairs spiral down into a single totem pole carrying another caged monkey. Who puts them into these things?

I would jump from the wooden railings and tackle the cage off the totem pole, but Ooccoo has managed to claw her way onto my hair, turning it into a makeshift nest – not unlike that Coro, I realize. And my hair isn't even half as thick as his! My scalp hurts. We run down the stairs and Link attempts to shake the totem pole, but it's lodged too firmly into the ground and the cage remains safely atop it.

The sound the monkeys make upon seeing each other has become customary to my ears; it's when Ooccoo joins them that _noise_ becomes a problem.

"Please be quiet, both of you!" she shouts, flapping her arms and bouncing on my head in a panic. "The noise is attracting bokoblins!"

To her credit, the light from the window above has been shaded enough to attract my attention, and I see she's right – bokoblins have somehow found their way here, or perhaps they were always lying in wait. Could they be the ones who imprisoned the monkeys?

The bokoblins jump down, shaking their clubs. "I will take care of them," I say, drawing my staff and standing between the totem pole and the savages. "Free the monkey – try using your sword, perhaps?"

"Right," says Link, and runs as far away from the totem pole as he can within the room. What is that…?

I have no time to watch him, running instead towards a bokoblin and deflecting its club.

"Maeva, behind you!" I feel as if bunches of hair have been torn off my head. "Behind youuu!"

I turn around too late, having cringed at Ooccoo's bending over and screeching in my ear, and a club bashes me on the shoulder.

"Ow-!" I stab at it, and see Link somersaulting over to the totem pole. I suppose the sword didn't work? Or he never tried it at all! I return to my battle just in time to block a club and swing my staff at a bokoblin's feet, causing it to tumble over and stay down long enough for me to cleave the crystal down into its chest.

"Oh, yes! Right in the heart!" Ooccoo cheers.

The bokoblin cries out, which wakes the other one, who runs at me and jumps higher than I expect. I retreat, hoping to thrust the crystal right into its head before it lands on me, but I'm backed into the totem pole right as Link rolls into it like a lunatic and Ooccoo is screaming like a—

The cage falls, missing Ooccoo by an inch, and crushes the bokoblin. The monkeys are reunited with joyful chittering.

"Heh, that was close, wasn't it?" Ooccoo laughs nervously, once more resting calmly on my head. As though my hair isn't unruly enough already, and as if I do not look cursed enough as it is. ..

"If you hadn't screamed my eardrums off, it wouldn't have gone that far," I say.

"Oh, well, better late than getting crushed by a wooden cage, I always say!" Ooccoo chuckles. We've only met and I _know_ she doesn't always say that.

We return to the cavern with the platforms over the water. The monkeys want us to move back towards the area where I first defeated that spider, but Ooccoo jumps off my head before I can follow.

"Can you smell that?" she asks.

I comb my hair over with my fingers and frown at her disapprovingly. "What? If you mean the monkeys, I've grown accustomed to them. Although I wouldn't say you haven't acquired a certain clay smell from staying inside that pot for so long…"

Amusement dances on Link's face. What? It certainly wasn't _that_ funny. Ooccoo narrows her eerie eyes at me but says, "No, no. That! Treasure!"

"Treasure?" My shoulders straighten. "Where?"

"Follow me!" Ooccoo says, and jumps off the platform into the water.

'"I'm not going to follow you," I announce, peering over the platform edge.

"Oh! The water is lukewarm!" Ooccoo giggles, splashing her wings around as she paddles about. "Jump in, Link! Maeva! The treasure is nearby!"

"This is_ not_ the time to be frolicking—Link!" I gasp indignantly. Link actually obeys Ooccoo – which is characteristic of him, I suppose, obeying everybody – but is it really necessary to jump where the impact will cause water to splash _me_?

Ooccoo starts kicking and swimming somewhere behind the platform I stand on and Link swims quickly after, motioning for me to follow. Oh, he can just do _everything_, can't he? Fight, become chosen as the hero of the gods, _and_ swim fast?

I don't like him.

They disappear from sight and I am about to start worrying when I hear Ooccoo's already familiar yelling. "Here! Open this chest, Link!"

Did they really—could it be?

"Hey, you're right!" Link exclaims, his voice echoing from somewhere below me along with Ooccoo's cackling. "A purple rupee!"

Oh.

More laughter, and then those two swim back up the platform. Link shows me the rupee, worth 50 green ones, and does a high-five with Ooccoo's wing. "Great job, Ooccoo!" he says, and then _finally_ we jump towards the monkeys, who cheer and make noise at the sight of such a shiny gem before leading us to the western door from the main platform of the first area, via another swing care of the newly freed monkey.

The next events are still a blur to me. There were insects, rough in form but with narrow, spindly legs like a spider's, only they possessed just two, and when we attempted to strike them, they glowed red, emitted smoke, and then exploded after a few seconds, like bombs.

The first one exploded in my face, admittedly. I was about to inspect one after Link stabbed it and it curled into itself, glowing, and the next time I was fully sensible, my face was covered in soot and there was only ash where the insect used to stand.

Ooccoo and Midna burst into laughter, of course, while I'm certain Link snickered somewhere behind me before asking me if I was all right. But I'm not so angry about that – he received his comeuppance when he attempted to jump across a platform and was almost eaten by a hostile plant—

"Whoa!" His eyes widened when it happened, and before I knew it he was hanging on to the platform for dear life. I peered over the platform and saw that the shrub was already halfway through his leg, slurping towards his knee. His right arm caught a tighter grip on the last plank as he reached his left hand out to me. "Maeva—!"

"O-Of course," I nodded, taking his left hand and pulling when I snapped my head away from the morbid sight. Where were the eyes on that plant? After much grunting and screaming from Ooccoo, forming several more tangles in my hair, Link managed to shake the plant off and landed on me, his chest on mine and his cheeks red and his leg—

"How dare—off me!" was all I managed to yelp before I shoved him away, almost pushing him off the edge again, but reflex caused my arm to reach out and his to chance another grip on my hand, and he lived. That fool, causing me to…

In any case, the insect-bombs were useful enough, helping us destroy any more shrubs that possessed the acquired taste of _hero chosen by the gods _and power through boulders unmovable.

One particular boulder hid the way into another room fill with water, but only after running down a flight of stairs surrounded by grass. Only one bridge cuts through the water, and only one bridge leads the way to another set of platforms, leading up to a monkey crying out for help.

"Come," I say, stepping onto the bridge, and then I'm thrown off to the side. The first thought that comes to me is _water_, and _by the gods, please, no_, but I only land waist deep into it, with my arms hanging tightly to the grassy area after the stairs. The water seems like an abyss – my feet can prop themselves up against nothing, and I depend on my arms to push me up and help me crawl back onto the safety of land.

Link, as well as Ooccoo, who has transferred to Link's hat (she says it's much more comfortable – I _apologize_ that even my head is inferior to his), arrives a little too late, hovering over me as I lie on my back, panting. "The bridge—" he says, "It just…it threw you off."

"I noticed," I snap, forcing myself up and dismissing another offer from Link. "It must be magic."

Link crouches near the bridge and spots something – he later tells me it was a snake-like monster of sorts, hiding under the bridge tiles. "I'll swim over to the other side instead," he tells me. "Stay here, okay?"

I frown. "You idiot—"

But he has already jumped in, swimming across, and I cannot follow. My legs still feel like jelly…

Ooccoo, who stayed with me, sits on my lap as I lean against the stairs and glare across the room at the divine hero. "You know, he's only trying to be a gentleman."

I scoff. "I don't need a gentleman. I need him to get out of my way."

Ooccoo frowns, her eye ridges creasing in place of eyebrows. "I can't understand why Link irks you so," she says. "He's so—"

The monkey noises interrupt her as they cheer for Link, defeating a spider with a somersault in the air and a deft stab downward with his sword, looking something like a true warrior. Ugh. I assume he frees the monkey and allows it to climb him until he swims back, but I don't remain long enough to see it.

"Where are you going?" Ooccoo paused her showering Link of adulation to ask when I gathered enough strength to move my lower limbs again.

"Away from you two," I muttered, removing her from my lap and setting her down.

"What?" she asked incredulously. "But we—"

"Stay here, if you're so fond of him," I told her, climbing the stairs against the wooden railing. This temple would be beautiful if we weren't in such a hurry – it's as if it raised and carved itself into being. "I will return shortly."

"How rude!" Ooccoo pouted, but her opinion is of no consequence to me. I don't even know _what_ she is, and she might say the same of me, so we might as well keep our distance.

I exited the room soon after that, and now catch sight of another door I might reach by climbing more vines. The ants I don't mind so much, but the spiders try to web around me and trap me, much like their larger counterparts, so I stop and manage a shadow around my hand with the little I can do. It's black, like a glove, only thicker and yet less visible. With it, I crush the spiders on my way up, and shake off the slime and the shadow when I am finished.

I strain my neck to gaze into an enormous Deku Baba at the center of the room that snarls at me as soon as I enter. Must everything be oversized here? It reaches over and snaps its jaws at me, tongue swishing about behind its jagged teeth. I'm a little too far from its reach. I don't see eyes, but it can certainly smell me, as I tiptoe around it, still unreachable. Its form follows me across the room, straining its neck to bite me like a dog chained to the shrub beside it.

A monkey cowers behind another cage, pointing fiercely at the large Baba and shaking his head, refusing to join me even as I break his cage open.

"You can stay here if you want," I tell him, but he shakes his head even more vigorously. Stubborn little… I grab his monkey wrist and pull. "I'm going to walk around it and see your friends and you're coming—with me—ow!"

He bites at me! That little animal almost bit me when I'm only trying to help!

"Fine!" The monster is still sniffing in our direction, salivating and biting. I suppose the way of the hero would entail destroying _every _obstacle. But how…? A ticking in close proximity comes as my answer. A bombling, an exploding insect! Of course – I've never tried one on a Baba, but it should work the same, shouldn't it?

I punch a bombling in the head as soon as it crawls out of its hole, its new glow brightening every second. I come close enough to the oversized Baba for it to reach me, but it snaps at my legs before I can throw the bombling inside its mouth and I am forced to jump upward, therefore landing on its head. Oh, how disgusting! Even as I sit atop it, it attempts to catch me with its prehensile tongue, lashing upward while it oh I wish it wouldn't move so much this way while it throws its head back and forth, with me struggling to stay on it and somehow throw the now more swiftly ticking bombling in its mouth—

My own gasp is cut off by what seems to be the Baba's huff, which I realize too late is one of _triumph_, as my legs are loosened from it and I'm thrown straight into the shrub beside it.

I know now what Link's leg felt, except now my entire body is sticky and it smells awful, like a sort of natural garbage I can't explain. I want to cry; this type of darkness isn't comforting at all, and I feel as though I'm being digested! But it isn't the way of the hero to cry; even I was taught not to, and just as I force a determination to survive in my mind, I realize it isn't all darkness – there is a light, bright red, and by the goddesses the bombling is near explosion I must protect myself I cannot yet return to dust—

_boom_

The blast sounds far away, but I open my eyes and see the fire crawling up the Baba's stem into its bulb behind the black of my shadow. This ruins my concentration, causing my shadows to release me just in time for the exploded slime to splatter all over my head.

I can't help but cry out in frustration. I'm actually able to extend a shadow over a shape so irregular as my body again, thick enough to protect me from an explosion that would have otherwise painted the rest of the room with my innards – the first time in I can no longer remember – and what do I receive for it? A _slime bath_?

Even the monkey is repulsed! He leaps over to me, clapping and cheering and chittering, only to back away and wave his hands over his nose in disgust. I completely understand.

"Maeva! There you are! We were beginning to worry!" Ooccoo's annoying shout greets me as the monkey and I exit the room.

"You insult me by worrying," I say, jumping off the ledge with the monkey and returning to their level. I present our newfound friend to the female, who joins the others in a hug. "I found one."

"We found another, too," Link says, motioning to another I can't exactly tell apart from the rest as they come closer. I can only take his word for it and the fact that there do seem to be more of them, now.

"Look at these monkeys," Ooccoo coos from Link's shoulder, "so happy to be together again! You two should learn something from them."

I open my arms, ignoring the urge to neaten my hair. "Would you like to join me in a tearful embrace, Ooccoo?"

Link and Ooccoo come close enough to realize there is something odd about me – though I've wiped most of the slime off with the help of the monkey I only recently rescued, my hair is still wet. One might think I was interrupted in the middle of a human bath with one of the most expensive shampoos many merchants are selling these days (or what they would sell, if there remain any outside the twilight's influence) if not for the fact that I am fully-clothed, we are nowhere near a bath, and I smell like dead plant saliva and slime.

"Do you want to wash off in the water?" Link asks, jerking his head in the direction of the room where he and Ooccoo found that purple rupee. "It's clean."

I huff. "Do you think me some girlish _thing _who can't work with a little dirt?"

"Gracious, you smell terrible, Maeva!" Ooccoo laughs before Link might say anything, covering her little nose with a wing. "What happened?"

"There was an enormous Deku Baba," I explain, though I shouldn't have to to them. "I destroyed it, naturally."

"What a nice parting gift, then," says Ooccoo, still chortling, and I'm about to go and strangle her when I see Link's smile from my peripheral vision.

"And you?" I snap. "What else might you have to say?"

Link shakes his head calmly, only smiling in what I know(!) is the highest possible level of amusement, and says, "…Only that we should probably get going. I have a plan."

…

"You're insane," I say to Link, keeping my eyes straight ahead at the line of monkeys hanging on the new 'bridge'-like tightrope. We returned to the area where that larger monkey once destroyed a long bridge right before our eyes, and Link's _plan_ is to have them toss us forward to each other until we reach the other side. Despite the great abyss that lies before us. "Or you wish to die. I can think of better ways to help you without having to endanger _me_."

Link only peers closer over the edge, as though calculating something. The exact speed we shall possess before our bones break into a tiny million pieces, perhaps? I can't tell what lies in a fool's mind. "It's safe," he insists, smiling at the monkeys and giving them a thumbs-up. " Trust me, we won't die. Let me show you."

And he jumps to his untimely doom.

Or not so untimely, and not so much a doom at all. In fact, the monkeys manage to toss him all the way – the second to the last one almost let him go, I think, I can't see so far from here, with the wind blowing hair in my eyes – and he is safe across the gap.

"Come on, Maeva!" he waves again, Ooccoo cheering on his shoulder. How did—? I didn't see her on his shoulder when—oh, never mind…

I don't want to. I don't. My hair is everywhere, what if the monkeys grab it instead of my hands and tear off half my head? Not only will I be dead, I shall also be _bald_. Or worse – develop bald spots. I shudder at the thought. But I see Link waving and realize only one thing – if I don't go, _he _will, and then he will save the princess instead of me!

I can't let that happen.

My heart is caught in my throat and I find myself slack-jawed after the monkeys toss me across, one by one, grabbing my hands and then feet and then hands until finally I land on Link, who was setting Ooccoo down when I arrived. I land on his shield on him, actually, but pull myself up quickly and dust myself off. Who knows where that shield has been?

In any case, I glance at the monkeys. The first creatures of light I've come to trust just now, besides Zelda. I didn't believe I would survive in their hands, but…depending on others may not be so foolish.

"Thank you," I tell them. They chitter and clap, but refuse to remove themselves from the rope and usher us inside where the bigger monkey should reside. I lower my eyes to Link, still groaning from my weight. "What are you waiting for? Come!"

Link rolls the stone shut behind us once we enter to keep the wind outside. This temple is its own world, the trees and leaves as clouds and cavern walls as the sky, but this area is broken and there is a gaping cavity in the sky near the clouds where viny walls should be, providing the room with a natural light. The particles float towards a singular cylindrical pillar far into the room, surrounded by many more like it. If I should venture a guess, I might say the baboon might sit in the middle and the rest, around him, but can beasts form something so closely sentient to a _council_?

"Where's Ook?" says Link. "He should be here."

"Ook?" I repeat. "Are you going mad, now?"

"No," Link says with a heavy breath, like the start of a laugh. Why he finds everything so funny is beyond me. "When I was a wolf, that monkey – she said something about their boss. _Ook_, she called him, and said he was acting strange…"

"I'll say," I mutter. "It isn't polite, slapping one's shiny red posterior at total strangers."

A deep chittering cuts off whoever might speak more and Ook – if that really is his name – swings into the room through the cavity then lands on the center pillar.

He raises something in the air – I can see it now – a boomerang under the twilight's influence. It's very easy to tell, given that it's surrounded by twilight. Ook throws the boomerang high in the air – while he is distracted and I wonder why he would aim so far, I hurl my staff straight at his forehead. But the boomerang returns to him before the staff and he is able to dodge it just barely, and then performs a ridiculous looking dance on the pillars. Is he mocking me? He slaps his buttocks and chitters again. He is.

"You missed, too," I taunt in return. Would he understand me? The monkeys are smart enough – so should he be. I present Link with an empty palm. "Slingshot."

Link takes the slingshot from his pocket – it seems able to carry a lot of things – and I aim it at the baboon once I take a rock from the pebble satchel.

Before I can fire, I hear a sword connect with something that _slurps_ and then a hiss behind me. I turn too late to see a Baba Serpent, wriggling on the floor right at me. I reach for my staff, but oh, I threw it at Ook! I back away, firing pebbles into its mouth, but they aren't bomblings and it only gobbles them up, its serpentine slithering forming fear I have no time for.

I was always told my body was my greatest weapon.

Or my greatest folly – I kick at the Baba Serpent, but it jumps just in time to avoid my foot and aim for my leg. I fall on my posterior, unable to decide if I should feel fear or anger. The Baba Serpent leverages itself on my calf, tearing through my trousers and leaving bite marks and blood seeping out, and as I watch its blue tongue lash out at the blood I realize I choose anger.

"Urgh!" I reach over and feel my leg muscles stretch as I wrestle the Baba Serpent, my thumbs digging into the sides of its lips. I'm unsure as to what I want to do – push it away, tear its face open? – and I don't notice that we roll on the ground, one fighting to stay away and the other fighting to stay.

"Maeva, get back!"

I look up in surprise, releasing the serpent long enough to give Link a chance to cleave his sword down at its head, narrowly avoiding my leg.

"Are you all right?" he asks.

I feel every bite mark on my leg, but why would I say that? "Just go!" I point at Ook, hurling the boomerang at the ceiling again. I glance up and realize he wasn't being a foolish baboon at all – he aims the Baba Serpents hanging from the ceiling and expects them to cause a distraction for him!

When I return to my senses, Link has already gone to fight Ook, rolling into the pillars he stands on and knocking him off. Baba Serpents crawl past me towards him, as though knowing they must protect Ook.

"Those Baba are a danger to Link! Help him, Maeva!" Ooccoo shrieks from beside me. When did she even—?

It isn't that I obey Ooccoo; I have been planning to do this all along. I take the slingshot and fire every pebble I can at the serpents – this is much more effective. With a stronger hit from behind, they actually _die_. The thought that that is _his_ way – defeating his obstacles from behind – crosses my mind, but they're only serpents, not a kingdom! I'm nothing like him!

I will return the princess to her rightful place no matter the cost. I hear Ooccoo shrieking somewhere at the back of my mind, but only until she nips me do I hiss back at her.

"Why in the name of Nayru would you do that?"

"You're out of bullets, Maeva! Gracious, stop firing!"

I don't drop my irritated expression, but I do peek into the pebble satchel – empty. Was I really firing nothing?

"I knew that," I say to Ooccoo, shaking her off my ankle. "I was – practicing my aim! Not that you would understand."

And then I remember the human. Link slams his sword hilt against Ook's head. Ook remains conscious, but stops and glances around, almost as if he doesn't remember a thing. The expression on his face is no longer one of derangement but confusion, and he drops his boomerang before scuttling off and swinging out of the cavern through its cavity.

That was odd, to say the least.

Link turns around, grinning triumphantly until he catches sight of me.

Nearing me, he asks, "Can you walk?"

"I can barely move an inch. Yes, I can walk."

Link laughs nervously. "Sorry."

I roll my eyes inwardly. He takes my arm and pulls it over his shoulder. "Come on, I'll help you up."

If I could beat him off, I would, but what choice do I have? The back of his neck is sweaty and I smell work off him, but I inhale something worse – me. How can anybody stand it? "Why?" I ask.

"Because…" his eyes shift side to side as though they'll find the answers there. "…you can't walk?"

"Hmph." I accept his help – reluctantly. I shouldn't need it. I take a step forward and land on my left foot perfectly, but once I lift my right and attempt to support my weight with it, I hiss and lean involuntarily on Link. (This needn't be said. I would never lean against him of my own volition.) I remove my arm from him and step forward left, step forward right…I nearly fall, but Link catches my arm.

"It's okay, Maeva," he says. "I don't mind."

Well, I do.

He forces me, I would say, to lean on his arm, but the contact is short lived – I step on something.

"Ow!" it cries. I step back in surprise and let out a whine as I give too much weight to my right leg. This is pointless. I must heal.

"It's that boomerang!" says Ooccoo.

I sit down, resting my leg beside it, and attempt to pick it up, but Link takes it before I do, only to hand it to me. I don't need help with _everything_. Before I can touch it, the boomerang spins away from his grasp, and then I notice that the shadow has been lifted from it. It floats in the air with the help of a small cyclone it must have created – by itself?

"I'm the Fairy of Winds who resides in this boomerang," it says, decidedly female. I have never heard of male fairies, in any case. "You freed me from evil, and now I have my true power back. Please, take me with you. I can unleash the power of the wind, aiding you in unforeseen ways."

"That sounds wonderful!" says Ooccoo.

"All right," I shrug, and take her from her cyclone. The boomerang – or should I call her the fairy? – yelps. Where would its mouth be? I am sufficiently disturbed (what if her mouth is the entire boomerang itself? Or worse) and hand her to Link.

"You don't want it – her?" asks Link, seeming doubtful.

"You need her more than I do," I smirk.

It is thoroughly wiped off when the boomerang speaks, her voice small and high-pitched, but still older than a child's. "It's better this way. She smells awful!"

"I said that, too," says Ooccoo, nodding sagely.

I roll my eyes and ignore them, opting to look around instead. "Now, my staff—"

"Here it is!" says a tiny voice, and I whip my head in its direction to find the staff floating before me. Wh-what sort of magic is this…?

The staff falls into my open palm and then there is something on my shoulder. I look and cannot help the widening of my eyes. It's a head! With wings! And familiar pink eyes—

"Hello!" it smiles at me. "I'm Ooccoo Junior!"

I glance at Ooccoo and notice the similarities, only Ooccoo Junior has no body to speak of. How does it grow out, I wonder? "You are Ooccoo's daughter?"

The child giggles and shakes his head (as well as his entire body, I suppose). "No, I'm her son!"

Oh. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised – young boys are supposed to break into their voices. But I haven't known many children since I was one myself.

"Of course," I say later on.

Suddenly, Midna appears from Link's shadow with a sigh. "_Now _that we know what everybody's gender is, can we please move on? The monkeys should be satisfied now – let's continue combing the place. Right, Maeva?"

"Right."

"Maeva," says Midna, with a tone meant to scold, eyeing my right leg. "Trying to tear that vulnerable little body of yours apart?"

I frown. "No," I answer sharply. "It isn't my way to impede our progress for anybody's wish."

Midna floats backward a little, perhaps in shock that I would say such a thing to her, but only harrumphs and swoops back into the shadows. I ignore her and sit down, reaching for what should be my stomach bandages in my pouch because I can't lick my wounds before any of my current companions, but the human himself stops me.

"What is it now?" I mutter. "I can take care of myself…"

"Before you put those on—" Link reaches deep into his pocket, further than what should be physically possible, and pulls out that glass bottle he asked Trill to refill. He twists the lid open and pours some of the red potion on it. "You can drink this for faster healing, but this is also effective," he tells me, taking the sticky goo from the lid into his bare hand (when did he remove his glove?) and spreading it over the wounds on my leg.

His hands are rough, as is to be expected from a rancher. Why is he helping me? This is so foolish. If he were wounded, I…I look up from my leg to see his features as he takes the bandages that have rolled away from my hand and wraps them around my calf.

"Okay, done. Maeva?"

Ugh. No one should be allowed to be so—

"Maeva?"

"What?" I hiss when I return to my senses. "I was—_not_ looking at you! Why would I look at _you_?" I scoff, backing away and standing up. I – I can stand!

"Um, okay," is all Link says, wiping his hand on his tunic and returning the closed bottle in his impossible pouch. "Can you walk?"

"Walk? I can run!" I laugh, throwing my staff towards the door and running forward to catch it before it reaches. I glance back when I hear no one following and stand akimbo. "Must you always take so long?"

We head back across the monkey-makeshift bridge, which Ooccoo Junior thoroughly enjoys. I ask him where he was hiding all this time; under his mother's wing, apparently, asleep. He awoke as soon as he sensed the darkness surrounding the boomerang, claiming it smelled like rare treasure.

We find a room with a bridge leading towards a monkey, but as soon as we cross it, bokoblins appear from seemingly out of nowhere and attack us. I dispose of them easily this time, using my staff's long reach to stab them while Link distracts them just by attempting to free the monkey. It is soon freed, but when we turn around to cross the bridge back, it has rotated, stripping us of a way back.

"What…?" I can't help but express my surprise.

"I have an idea." Link throws the boomerang at the small boards atop the bridge pole. The boomerang sends a wind flying and causes the bridge to rotate back to help us across. Grinning gratefully at the boomerang, Link says, "It worked!"

Oh, I hardly noticed. I shouldn't have given him the boomerang – Ooccoo and her son were right. It is a useful treasure; but then the Fairy did give me cause for offense.

When we cross the bridge, Midna reappears from Link's shadow and sees a monkey in our company once more. "I guess there are still some monkeys you haven't freed yet. At this point," she grins, her teeth the only white part of her visible beneath the shadows, "you should just save them all and see what you can get for it!"

"An honorable cause," I say, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm sure you think so," Midna giggles before disappearing again.

"Well, let's move forward," says Link, taking his eyes off his shadow. I wonder how it must feel, having someone else in your shadow. I've only ever been in them myself.

"Ow!" Ooccoo Junior cries. I gasp and see that I have clenched my fist into part of his wing, as he was flying close to my hand, saying he felt a treasure inside it. (I'm uncertain as to what he might sense in there, but I allow him to stay there. Although I dislike Ooccoo, Ooccoo Junior is agreeable and grows on one quite easily. )

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ooccoo Junior," I say, taking his small body into my hand. I still feel somewhat queasy holding somebody's head in my fist, but I like the child. Although he doesn't dislike Link as I do, neither does he shower the hero with the adulation the human's position entails, and I appreciate him for this.

"Oh! Heere!" Ooccoo Junior says, flying overhead. Directly above me, a treasure chest hangs from the ceiling on a thick latch of spiderweb. My eyes widen and I step aside.

"Can you bite it?" I ask the child.

"He doesn't have teeth!" cries Ooccoo. She should take no part in this. She didn't sense the treasure.

"Yes, he does. I saw them. And look," I raise my knuckles for her to see – tiny bite marks. He tried to bite me out of instinct, earlier, when I nearly tore his wing off. Another reason why I like him: his survival instincts are sharp.

Ooccoo frowns worriedly. "Well, he's only a few months old. Don't make him use them yet."

"All right, all right," I mutter. He'll have to learn to fight and be useful some day. Why delay the process? "Ooccoo Junior, return to me."

"Okay, Maeva!" Ooccoo Junior flies back to my shoulder.

"That's all right," Link says, revealing the boomerang once more, and hurls it at webs connecting the chest to the ceiling. Surprisingly, he catches the chest with both hands, and the boomerang returns instead to me.

"Oh, please, bathe!" the boomerang cries, sending wind in my direction. How rude!

I clench my fist on her handle, my eyes cold from the harsh breeze. "Be quiet or I _will_ break you in half."

"You wouldn't!"

"Do you—"

"M-Maeva…" Link grunts. I return my attention to him and almost laugh – the chest is so heavy that his knees are about to buckle! He gives me a pleading look that might melt the hearts of a thousand other girls.

I only roll my eyes. "Did we say you would catch it? Set it down!"

Link lets out a sigh of relief as he allows the chest to tumble forward on the floor. It is a compass – apparently, the chest gave itself all the weight. We follow the compass – because it does not point North, and Ooccoo and Junior insist they would know if a piece of treasure were faulty – and find more monkeys and hidden treasure. Ooccoo doesn't appreciate what might be a replacement for her abilities (whether or not the compass is more efficient isn't as important to me as the fact that the compass does not shriek, in all actuality), but admits that it is a useful tool for finding the monkeys.

We search for the remaining monkeys, vanquishing spiders and Deku Baba on the way. The Baba Serpents in particular are persistent – but my staff cuts through them easily, at least through their heads, and I give them no more opportunities to paint any more of me with wounds. Midna leaves us to our collecting, staying quiet during the process, but it should surprise no one that the same cannot be said of Ooccoo, who shrieks and yells out every time she sees a monster. Ooccoo Junior is much more useful, retrieving my staff for me whenever I hurl it at an opponent, but it still boggles the mind, how he manages to pick up my staff at all. Link remains blissfully irritating (or is it the other way around?) and smiles determinedly almost all throughout.

When we finish, the rest of the monkeys we left on the rope bridge – including the female – join their friends, as though sensing the completion of the task they themselves could not accomplish. Like small children, they beckon us to another cavern we haven't yet seen. Natural platforms of rock mounds stick close to the sides, where the monkeys swing toward immediately. How interesting – they possess one platform each. Only one remains empty – for Ook, perhaps? He has yet to reveal himself again.

Across our own rock mound, connected to the entrance, spans a great, black abyss. What a dilemma that stands before me – were I free, I might be able to jump past, and Midna would have no trouble following. But the human is here and I am limited by this humanity I possess. Would I give it up so soon, for one piece of the treasure?

"How do they expect us to get across?" I frown, standing over the edge of the platform. "There is no rope bridge, this time."

I glance back at Link, who only gapes at something ahead, jaw hanging, until he shuts it himself and opts for another smile. "Look!"

I turn and see – oh, no. One monkey hangs off a branch high above the space between our platform and the next, where the other door is situated, and the rest follow his example, crawling below him, hands and feet connecting until the last monkey – the female – might reach us if we jumped, and swing us across.

"No." The word comes out of my mouth before I can think.

"Hey, they made a huge swing for us to get you humans across!" Midna laughs, clapping her hands with the female monkey before swinging back into the shadows.

Must she always force me into these things?

"They're the only way we can take across," Link tells me after waving at the monkeys, giving me a compassionate or pitiful expression. I don't care for either. "Can you do it?"

"Of course I can do it!" I snap, stepping forward past him, but I don't jump off the platform. "I can do it."

"Maeva!"

Link's hand grabs mine in a bone-crushing grip, and I get that feeling as though I'm about to fall to my doom. I hear something in the distance, a loud scream – how annoying – until I realize it's me. I force my mouth shut and glance down. That abyss gapes at me, almost welcoming. I wonder what is beneath that darkness and feel my thoughts slipping, only to realize they aren't my thoughts but my hand, in Link's! The sweat from my palms is causing my grip to loosen—

Instinctively, my free hand reaches out for something above, anything. "Don't worry, I've got you!" Link says, taking it with the same tight clench as the other. He pulls me up to sit on the edge and collects my limp legs as well, preventing them from dangling. I am overcome with relief and the sudden desire to embrace the human, but as soon as I realize it, so am I overwhelmed with disgust for myself. Why should I feel gratitude for the human for helping me? I did the same for him when that shrub nearly gobbled him up! His debt is repaid; I'm certain he understands that.

"Let's go together," Link suddenly says, helping me to my feet.

I frown, steadying myself on him. Repaying his debt. "You mean—?"

I'm about to say I need _none_ of his help when he nods scoops me up by the knees, placing me over his shoulder. "Let's cross this bridge together!"

"I never said you could—"

He jumps over the edge. I lose all control of my fall, my heart threatening to burst at any moment—

"—!" I scream airlessly as the monkeys swing us over to the other side. Ooccoo and her son quietly follow suit. Link sets me down, and the small piece of shard of dust of respect I might have for him is ground into nothing. I glare up at him as I reassure myself that I'm actually still alive. He smiles at me comfortingly now, but…

Take a deep breath, Maeva. You mustn't kill the human yet.

The insufferable human who nearly had me fall into the dark abyss rolls the door open. I find my legs and walk through, Ooccoo on his shoulder and Junior on mine, but Link stops me as I enter.

"Stick to the wall," he says, following his own advice. He actually sounds serious, for once, not that it should matter.

I realize why he is so stern when Ooccoo Junior gives a tiny gasp. Two oversized Deku Baba, not unlike the one I faced earlier, sink their roots deep into the water before us. Were the room not a cavern it might have looked like an enclosed portion of a waterfall pond, the waterfalls flowing from the walls and a giant tree in the middle behind the monsters. The Deku Baba are clothed in shadows – particularly, I assume, the twilight. Something turned this into a Twilit Parasite Diababa. The heads snap at us lashing their tongues. Must everything be hostile here? Even the water is infected with twilight, violet like the miasma. Ooccoo Junior shakes and hides under my shirt, but against the wall they cannot reach us anyway.

"No use leaving now," Midna says from Link's shadow. "That Diababa has what we need."

"Okay," says Link, drawing his sword. He glances at me with a grin. "Shall we?"

"I will," I reply, setting Ooccoo Junior down by the wall and running forward, tossing my spear at the eastern head. Ha! I jump in triumph as it spears on through. The head lets out a shriek before falling forward on the edge of the water.

"Maeva, get out of the way!" Link yells, the first I've ever heard of him raising his voice, save for the moments when he grunts and lets out unintelligible war cries when he attacks things. I glance behind me and somersault out of the way just in time for the second head to slam right where I stood. It, too, is dead, cut off from its stem.

"We did it!" Link cheers, holding a slimy boomerang in his hands, but he stares at it still like a piece of art. "Not bad."

"_Not bad_? That was disgusting!" the boomerang wails. "You've never cared for an enchanted item before, have you? You're terrible at it!"

"Sorry," Link says, smiling sheepishly, wiping the boomerang on his tunic before returning it to his pouch. He glances at me, still excited about that triumph (half of which is owed to me, and it would have been mine completely had he not interfered), and my irritation for him grows when his expression turns into one of alarm. "Maeva, move!"

I follow his eyes and feel a vibration in the ground. The Diababa heads are slinking back into the water – and so is my staff! No! I reach out to grab it, but it is dragged into the water too quickly and I cannot dive in to retrieve it. The murky violet liquid that fills the lake bubbles.

"It isn't over!" Link declares, but I glance at him only to ensure that he is too busy waiting for whatever else is in the water to watch me. I focus on where I last saw the Diababa head. A shadow slips through into the water, and as it does I snap back as though seared. That twilight – it clenched down on my own, forced it back! The magic is more powerful than I imagined.

I back away, getting to my feet, but another roar throws me off. I catch myself before I fall and run towards the others, diving to Ooccoo Junior's side as a great splash signals the rise of another monster.

It looks nothing like a Diababa head, its stems thicker than the rest, almost thick like a tree trunk but not as solid. Or perhaps it would, if one peeled an even bigger Diababa bulb's petals back and found a smaller bud inside, a smaller bud that opened to reveal a great yellow _eye_! Acid saliva pouring from its orifices, it roars at Link, who only stands back.

And I might have forgotten to mention that the two Diababa heads we destroyed earlier are very much alive – or perhaps it's that the new, more grotesque Diababa head was able to create more of its ilk. Still snapping and biting. Link uses the boomerang to cut through the side-heads, which respawn over and over again, eliciting more complaints from the fairy, but the center head's thick trunk is too hard.

"Stop it! Stop it!" the boomerang yells after more than four repetitions. The center head seems undefeatable. And I can do nothing to defeat it, what with my staff being lost in the water! "I can't slice through such a thick object!"

Link apologizes as Ooccoo and Ooccoo Junior cheer. What are we to do? We haven't even yet acquired the first treasure and I already find myself at a loss.

And then a familiar shrieking, a beating of the chest, and something glowing in his hand – Ook and a bombling! I only notice now that there are entrances to the cavern from the top sides, like a window of sorts. Ook makes noises at Link – not chittering, I can't describe it, but it sounds something like _ooh ooh ahh ahh _–and motions to himself. Ah. I think I might understand…

"You must—"

"I know," Link takes a breath before throwing the boomerang at Ook. How dare he interrupt me! He's fortunate he did what I was about to instruct…

Ook catches the boomerang and sets the bombling atop it. Somehow, it stays on the boomerang and enters the Diababa's orifice – I cannot honestly call it a mouth – which slobbers all over the fairy before returning to Ook, who swings towards us just in time for the monster to thrash about. I don't see it, turning my body to the wall and covering Ooccoo Junior and Ooccoo from the oncoming blast.

It doesn't come, shriveling up instead and falling to ash, only the ash stays suspended in the air – magic. The darkness in the cavern lifts when part of the ceiling breaks, shedding light into the room. The miasma from the waters lift, too. Where has Link gone?

I don't care, of course. I stand and look to Ook, who has suddenly approached and thumps me on the shoulder, stuffing the boomerang in my hands and giving me more _ooh_s and _ahh_s before swinging away again. All that is left of the monster is its jaundiced eye, which twitches, rolls a little – I step back, only to stop at the sound of laughter.

"Midna?" She stands beside me. "Where did…?"

Midna doesn't answer me, in favor of watching the eye emit an orange light. Instead of exploding, it turns into a heart-shaped glass. This isn't the treasure…

And then the ashes move – in one swift, sweeping motion – and converge in the air before us, emanating an age old darkness that elicits a smile from Midna. Link is still missing.

Perhaps not, as the sound of a human gasping for breath reaches my ears. Far into the now clear, blue lake, Link rises, waving a hand at us as he breathes heavily. What in the world was that fool doing in the water? And why wasn't he affected by the darkness? …I suppose the answer should come easily. But that only angers me more.

And the hat is _still _planted firmly on his head.

"There's your human," Midna laughs merrily, tracing the symbols on the treasure that resembles her helmet with her little fingers. "Well done!" she tells Link, who has swum over to the edge. Is that…?

"My staff!" I can't help but exclaim, rushing to it. I glance at Link momentarily. "You…you…"

"It's difficult to get used to another weapon all over again," he says, squeezing the water from his hat, which dries instantly. Only then does it come off his head. _Really_? "I've never heard of people crafting staffs like these…and it seemed to mean a lot to you."

I…

"Oh, how sweet!" Ooccoo coos, wobbling over to us. "Maeva, you should thank Link! How kind of him to think so selflessly."

Ugh. Thank the goddesses we're about to part soon. I shall miss Ooccoo Junior's company, but Ooccoo's preachiness, not at all. I would have thanked him less begrudgingly had Ooccoo shut her mouth.

"Thank you," I say, but I don't look at Link, pretending to smooth my fingers against the crystal of the staff instead. Unmarred by the water that would have harmed me. The power _he_ used to craft this – it truly did ascend his own.

"And here I was, about to say good riddance," says Midna, glaring at the staff. But I sheathe it again, the lesser of two evils, and I understand that she can sense nothing will stop me from using this to my advantage, not even her own anger.

"You're welcome," Link replies, smiling, but is easily distracted by the treasure. "What's that?"

"What we've been looking for," says Midna, embracing the thing into herself. "A Fused Shadow. It's what that light spirit called _dark power_… Do you remember what it said? About how you had to match the power of the king of shadows?"

Link nods. Midna pretends to put some thought into the matter by tapping her chin before giggling. "Could it really be so easy? Is this all there is to it? Eee hee hee!" This is no laughing matter – but that is Midna's way. "There's a total of three Fused Shadows – I think the other light spirits have the rest."

"How do you use them?" asks Link. I realize it's the first time I have ever seen him speak with Midna as a human.

"Maybe I'll tell you if you find the other two," she giggles. I sigh. "I guess you'd better do your best to find them, huh? Eee hee hee!"

Link looks away, but says nothing. Midna accepts this and tells me, "Let's not waste any more time here when we could be looking for the other two. I'll get us out of here with my own power – get the heart container, and let's go."

She points to a spot on the ground. A black portal with clover green etchings shimmers into existence, and then Midna disappears.

"The heart container," Ooccoo repeats, and wobbles over to that encased heart from earlier. "This is what she meant. This is very important, rare, treasure!"

"You don't say," Link replies, approaching it slowly. I have never heard of this – I never thought Midna would learn so much in her travels. If she only let me accompany her…

Link picks it up and crouches before Ooccoo. I am curious and have no choice but to follow. "How do we use it?" asks the human.

"Reach into the glass and your energy will be restored, your stamina increased! I found one of these once. Oh, what an adventure!" Ooccoo reminisces. So she actually has traveled farther than a bunch of pots… "All together, now, so we might share the spoils of our travels!"

"You too, Ooccoo Junior," Link tells the small, winged creature on my shoulder.

"What about me?" asks the Fairy of Winds in my free hand. Oh, yes. I forgot about her.

"Of course, dear!" Ooccoo declares. Who gave her the power of decision? I can't say I defeated the Diababa, unfortunately, but I did contribute to this moment. Ooccoo Junior and the boomerang, too, but all I remember Ooccoo doing was shriek. If anything, the monkeys deserve this more than she… But the human only agrees.

"One–two–three–!"

The heart container's glass _appears _like glass, but it is softer and permeable – I learn later that this sensation is the same as touching snow – and all at once, our eyes widen. (Save for the boomerang, who gives a small gasp of elation.) Ooccoo may be noisy, but she is correct. I no longer feel exhausted. My back straightens, and somehow I am simply – I _know _I am simply more powerful than I was seconds ago.

We step into Midna's portal moments later, and the darkness whisks us away from the temple. It seems we spent most of the day there – dusk is about to set in. Faron finds us before his spring again and tells Link – hero chosen by the gods, heroic young man – that he must now go west to the Eldin province, where those he seeks, clearly the rest who were taken by _his_ raid, might be found. Midna appears only when the light spirit is gone, of course, and surprisingly agrees with Faron.

When she disappears, too, I see Link rubbing his right arm over the other. I ask, only out of curiosity, of course, "What ails you?"

"Nothing, really," Link replies, an uneasily smile on his lips. "Just – didn't you think it was cold, in that portal? It didn't feel like this – when I was a wolf. Didn't you…?"

"It was freezing!" Ooccoo gasps, shivering in her feathers behind us. "I agree! Junior, where are you?"

"Here, mama!" Ooccoo Junior says, flitting out from under my shirt. "Maeva was warm!"

"N-No, I wasn't," I insist. "Naturally, he would feel my body heat, I suppose, but – it _was_ cold."

Link shakes his head as though that will shake away the shiver of the darkness. I suppose it's only fair that those of the twilight would possess an aversion to the light, while creatures from the realm of light might feel something when exposed to the twilight. I hadn't expected _cold_, however.

"Before we go, I…I'd like to see Bo and the others," says Link.

"Oh." I look in the direction of where his village should be and remember my bracelet. I can't go back there – not without the children, who should be in Eldin, if Faron is to be trusted. And a light spirit has no reason to lie, unlike one of the darkness. I should go ahead, but I grow hungry… "If you must. I shall go ahead and search for food."

"No—" Link gets in my way before I can leave the springs. He has that habit, being a hindrance. "My house is on a hill above the village. Do you remember passing by there, when I was a wolf? I have food there. The journey to Eldin province takes a little less than a day, so we should probably set out at sunrise tomorrow. If you don't want to see the villagers again, you can stay there first. I'll light you a fire while I speak with them. Oh, and I'll heat some bath water for everyone."

I cross my arms. He makes a point that we should rest first, and a warm bath sounds exceedingly tempting, but… "What makes you think I am afraid to face your villagers? They couldn't even—"

"It's just a thought," says Link, smiling – is that pity? I don't need pity! If anyone should deserve pity, it's the humans! "We did just escape death by giant plant, and it's tiring to have to get introduced to so many people at once – I understand."

No, he doesn't. He knows nothing about me or Midna. And how can he utter _death by giant plant_ as though it is a normal occurrence? Wasn't he only a ranch hand before this, or does being named hero chosen by the gods instill a bravery into one from out of nowhere?

"I think it's a kind offer," says Ooccoo. "Very thoughtful, Link, thank you. Might we accompany Maeva, Junior?"

"Yes!" says Ooccoo Junior, rolling side to side on my shoulder. "Yes, please, Link!"

Link laughs. "Sure thing, Junior."

* * *

><p>REVIEW!<p>

Hope you guys liked this chapter. Character background for Midna and Maeva in the next chapter! Although dmc87's forest temple chapter is what made me fall in love with Maeva's character - her general whininess (is that a word? it is now) - and hoping as a reader that she becomes a better character or else I'll stop reading. HAHA! We'll see. Till next time!


	3. Whistling in the dark

&I'm sorryyyyy. I know I said I'd update weekly, but I've been so busy with exams! :( This will probably be the only update for the next two weeks.

So! In this chapter, we have the party in Link's house, to Kakariko, and back! Lots of character interaction here and hints+sort of reveals about Midna&Maeva pre-Link. The scope of this chapter is the last dmc87 ever wrote on (which is the party going back to Ordon Village to ask Bo a little somethin' somethin'), though I expounded on this a lot and had tons of fun doing it, so I hope you like reading it! From chapter 4 on out, it's going to be all me. I'm kind of scared to reveal the next chapter since I don't know how you'll find my preferred 3rd POV, but we'll see when we get there.

Thanks for the reviews and lots of the alerts/favorites! Please enjoy!

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><p><strong>My Way<strong>

Chapter 3: Whistling in the dark

The human's house is…homely enough. The fire is warm, as promised. Although it appeared to have two stories from outside, within, one can see that it's only an illusion, or perhaps it depends on how one defines a story. Near the door is a ladder one can climb to reach a platform containing the bed, connected to another ladder, also climbable to see through the window above, but that's all there is to it. Then again, I had no business expecting a castle from a ranch hand.

His house is simply designed, containing no pretentious embellishments that clearly exceed a young man of his stature. Branches from the tree behind the house creep in through the windows, providing unevenly leafy walls (and, I'm certain, many bugs around the house, though I have yet to see one). A pitchfork sits horizontally near the door, buckets and brooms below it. He has a desk filled with pictures and vases and a meager bookshelf, but what he might read about, I can only infer. Such a cluttered place.

And so was _his_. It is a man's way, I suppose.

"It isn't polite to rummage through another's things, you know, Maeva," Ooccoo calls from the dinner table, far from the door, her wing wielding a piece of cloth that cleans the boomerang. The fairy was complaining to me about my ingratitude, saying I had nothing to show for her lending us her power. Why was cleaning her tasked to _me_? I had enough trouble bathing myself in Link's tiny bathroom. Imagine, having to sit on a stool and pour water on myself constantly? Where we used to live, the water came from a – well, I suppose it doesn't matter where we used to live. In any case, Ooccoo seemed eager for another woman to talk to and happily obliged the fairy, who says we may call her Gale. "But it is nice to see you take an interest in Link."

"It's difficult not to," Gale sighs, blowing a slight breeze around the house. Ooccoo Junior, lying down asleep beside his mother, giggles at the wind that tickles his nose. "He's handsome _and _kind. I don't even really need a bath, and he warmed some water for me in my very own bucket!"

From my place beside his desk (he draws), I roll my eyes. "How can you see in such a form? And I am not interested in Link in the _least_. I'm searching for…"

"For _what_?" Gale asks with a tone I don't like. "And yes, I can see. Don't think I didn't see what you did with your eyes!"

"For food, clearly," I snap, ignoring her last statement. "He said we would eat, wouldn't we? How many hours have passed?"

"Hmm. I don't want to impede on Link's kindness," Ooccoo says, "but Maeva has a point. Is it dinnertime yet?"

I shrug and leave his desk, striding past the dinner table and peering down a ladder that leads only into darkness. I didn't want to enter, earlier, there being so many other things to investigate around the house, but now I'm curious. Ooccoo and Gale forgo me soon enough and I climb down. I see a lantern post, but I have no means of lighting it, and why should I? I can see perfectly in the dark. _He_ may have limited my power, but the markings he returned restored at least my vision. That was his mistake.

It is a storage room, full of dust and chests I don't bother opening. It wouldn't be proper, after all, even for the human. What he places upstairs he leaves to the discretion of his guests; what he hides in the darkness, meanwhile, is his own business. But one object catches my eye. It almost startles me into a gasp, but I keep my composure even before the sight of something shifting across me.

I cross the room, lifting my legs over the crates and chests he has scattered on the floor. Quiet pervades the darkness, swallowing Ooccoo and Gale's giggling from above. All is silent, and for a brief slip in memory I long for the sycophantic ways of my mother, abhorrent as they were to me once, and the passivity of my father to her faults. But those days have passed; I surrendered them to our kingdom when I swore fealty… I reach the object and come out of my reverie. It is a mirror. Dusty. I rub my index finger against my thumb, ridding myself of the perceived dirt, but I still see my reflection in it.

No one is around. Perhaps I could…

The shadows of the twilight are more easily manipulated in total darkness. They abound, after all, and while it is nothing compared to the full capacity we once possessed, it is more than what I can do in the light. I form a shadow over the flat mirror and press against it, absorbing the age and the dirt, and then release. The mirror is clear – save for a single speck of dust. I reach over to brush it away.

I remember a story _he_ once told me. If a young lady stayed up until midnight and peered into a mirror, possessing only a single fraction of light, in the mirror she would see the man she was destined to love, all the days of her life – or her worst nightmare, the bane of her existence. Midna laughed at my wonder, but I know she tried it once, before it all, before he went mad. And I helped him come to her that night, helped him sneak into our room while I hid in the shadows, watching, giggling as he surprised her and took her in his arms and kissed her. I swooned like a little girl in admiration and envy of them both.

I wonder who she thought she saw then, exactly.

I see a light in the distance. It was this way with them, too; faint. But we didn't need any light; Midna's markings served her well enough. He touched her flaming hair and she kissed his pale, white lips in the elated glow of her clover green etchings, believing all his pretty lies.

My markings no longer illuminate the dark, though they grant me some semblance of what I was once. And so I depend on that flame, that wisp from the realm of light—

"Maeva?"

I see Link in the mirror.

"Maeva, there you are," he says, smiling and coming from behind me. What's this? His hat is missing. I am at a stupefied loss. It can't be.

"You…"

"Me?" Link repeats, his gaze leaving the mirror to meet mine. "I'm sorry I took longer than I said I would. I tried to explain without telling too much – and bade my goodbyes. It wouldn't do to have them disturbing you all in the morning before we leave."

Before we leave – I whirl. Of course. It's only a trick, like _his_. She fell for that, but I won't.

"Clearly," I say, rubbing my throat. My voice is less full than it should be. I am guilty of nothing – I touched nothing that wasn't meant to be touched.

Link smiles and appears to notice something. He comes closer and touches the mirror. "…You shouldn't have," he says with a grateful inflection. "There was a mirror upstairs."

I shrug. "I didn't do it for you. I was curious."

"This was my mother's," he continues as though I said nothing. "She would sit me down in front of it and brush my hair every morning, and tell me I was meant for great things. My father would tell her she treated me like a girl and that fairy tales were no good for me," he laughs.

My mother told me I was going to be the princess one day while my father nodded in agreement when she told him to. And where did that lead?

Unconsciously, I brush my short hair before the mirror. I wonder if his mother's hair was golden, too, like sunlight trapped in fiber. Not that I will ask – I don't care either way, you see.

I return to my senses and find Link looking at me – at the markings on my stomach, to be precise.

"Is dinner ready?" I ask, resisting the urge to cover my stomach. I shouldn't care – I don't. The human is the one who should be ashamed! Staring is rude. I've done nothing wrong. "Ooccoo has been complaining about it."

"O-Oh, yes," he says, turning away and making his way back to the ladder, the lantern swinging further and farther away from me with him. "Sera gave us food to last at least the journey to Eldin. We should be fine until then…come on."

Don't presume you may tell me what to do, I say, but only in my mind. I'm not in the mood to argue with Ooccoo and Gale about their favorite hero. I follow him upstairs and leave the mirror behind; that memory only reflects how foolish we both were.

At the dinner table, there are vegetables and meat, because Sera – Hanch's wife, I learn – wants Link to grow into a sprightly young man and insisted on cooking and giving him all this food. She won't be disappointed, I think bitterly, and neither will the human's mother, wherever she is. One can't get sprightlier and greater than the hero chosen by the gods.

"Tell us, Link," says Ooccoo, dipping her face into her nearly finished bowl of soup, "what did you do before you became an adventurer?"

"Hmm?" the human glances up from his own plate, filled with the last bites of his steak. Fitting, for one who transforms into a beast. I have no appetite for meat – they all taste gray. Fruits and vegetables taste much brighter. "Why do you ask?"

Ooccoo smiles. "Well, since we _are_ going to be companions from now on"

– I choke on the apple that tastes magically blue, what did she just…? –

"I thought we should all get to know each other better!"

"Wonderful idea, I think," Gale says. She doesn't need to eat, but she does have her own place at the dinner table Ooccoo set up just for her. Ooccoo Junior awoke as soon as Link arrived, sensing that food was treasure to us all at the moment, and has his own plate of potatoes. I open my mouth to disagree about the sudden arrangement they discussed without me, clearly, but Link speaks too soon.

"Oh, sure. I was a ranch hand here, in Ordon village, before all this happened."

"How fitting! From ranch hand to hero chosen by the gods, just like something from the story books, don't you think?" Midna giggles. She appears as a shadow if only to keep our company, and Gale, Ooccoo and Junior are already accustomed to her. She and the first two have already become a trio of giggling older women, I would say, except she does it partly to mock me. I know she isn't as frivolous as she might want others to think. Midna is angry; angrier than me, even, and with good reason…

"Oh, yes! And that explains the strength," Gale says. Link smiles sheepishly. I gag. She sends a harsh breeze my way, but no one else seems to notice.

"And were you going to be a ranch hand forever?" Ooccoo asks.

"No," Link laughs. "They actually expected me…to be Mayor." Ha! The human, mayor of an entire village? Granted, it is generally peaceful and small, an ideal place to live, but…he is much too obeisant to lead.

"That's good, isn't it, Maeva?" Ooccoo Junior suddenly asks me. All eyes at the table turn to me. (Gale has no eyes, of course, but she insists she can see me and I take her word for that.)

"Well," I clear my throat. What is that lodged in there? It must be the sweet blue from the apple. "I suppose it might be."

"She means it is, dear, it is," Ooccoo tells her son before tapping her wing against the table, signing the furtherance of this conversation. "So, Link, are there any women back in your village you have your eye on?"

Link blinks, taken aback by the question. "Uh, not—"

"Hahaha! I suppose I should rephrase that!" Ooccoo laughs, along with Gale and Midna. I would vomit the wonderful blue of the apples if that meant erasing this conversation from my mind. "Are there any girls your age in your village?"

"Well, the Mayor's daughter is my age. Her name is Ilia…" His face takes on a dark look. What a rare sight. "She was taken by those pigs."

"I see." Ooccoo nods sagely before smiling again. "Well, that's perfect then, isn't it? The future mayor and the previous mayor's daughter, married! Don't you think it's perfect, Maeva? Almost like a fairy tale!"

"I do," Gale sighs dreamily.

Link raises a hand as if begging permission to speak. "But I'm not marrying—"

Midna just giggles, her eyes flashing at me. I give Ooccoo a disgusted look to mirror how I currently feel. "I don't involve myself in affairs such as marriage," I scoff. "On another note, fairies are whiny, and I couldn't possibly care less about who anybody marries!"

"I'm not whiny!" Gale _whines_.

"You aren't in the least, dear," says Ooccoo, shooting me a look. "Maeva's just cranky. Perhaps you should catch up on sleep. You look as if you need it, dear."

"I will sleep when I want to," I say, taking a last ferocious bite at the apple. As blue as it tasted, I've already lost my appetite.

"Quite the haughty one, isn't she?" Gale whispers to Ooccoo.

"I can hear you," I say, glaring at them both. Midna bursts into laughter.

"Wait," Link says, waving his hands to gather our attention. "I'm not getting married to anybody. Not yet, anyway."

"Oh, I see," Ooccoo says, a twinkle in her eye. "Go around the world, sow one's oats, hmm? Junior's father thought the same—"

"That is absolutely disgusting," I can't help but spit.

"No!" Link exclaims. "It's nothing like that. It's not on my mind yet, that's all. Anyway…" He rushes to stand, picking up our finished plates ("Thank you, Link!" says Ooccoo Junior), and places them somewhere behind me. "We should fix our sleeping arrangements. We've got a big day ahead of us."

"How responsible, Link, always thinking ahead!" Ooccoo praises.

"I know where I'm sleeping," says Midna, kissing Ooccoo Junior's forehead good night, and dives into Link's shadow.

"I'll stay here," says Gale with a tired sigh. I still cannot understand her. "Even without my power, the breeze from the window is just right. Good night!"

"Good night," say Ooccoo and Link, the former of which continues, "Junior and I will nestle near the fireplace. Thank you for your hospitality, Link."

"You're welcome," says the human, smiling, and then only the two of us are left standing. It feels like ages before he speaks again. I glance at the bed on the upper platform, and at the desk near the window. "Maeva, you can take my bed."

I whip my head at him, shocked at how that sounded, but I shake my expression away. I know what he meant. Ugh. Now I owe him my gratitude. "Thank you," I mutter, walking past him, towards the ladder.

"You're welcome," he says, his tone brimming with shock. I surprised myself, too. I sit on his small bed and watch him prepare an extra mattress of his own on the floor by his desk. He pulls a blanket over himself and closes his eyes. "Good night, everyone."

"Good night!" _everyone _says, before everything falls into quiet.

I bury my face into the pillow, rolling my eyes. Everything smells of the human – that scent of grass and flames crisping firewood. I groan inaudibly. No one should be so kind.

As planned, we set out towards Hyrule Field at dawn. We pass by Coro's home, but he still slumbers. Surrounded by the trees, the moments before sunrise are cold, filled with a dewy sensation that seeps into my skin and causes me shivers. My eyes struggle to stay awake for the first half hour, but by the time we find ourselves in the open air, I have fully awoken.

We come out from amidst the trees of Faron and even from so far I can see Hyrule castle, blanketed in a hazy awning of orange twilight. They used to say that only during dawn and dusk did the light realm feel the serenity of our world, when twilight struck their own, but now it is a constant – not that the creatures of light know it, themselves. They must be too trapped in their own fear to notice; and who can blame them? This twilight is unnatural. I wonder how Zelda fares.

There are many bokoblin along the way to Eldin, but only enough to keep us entertained and not too many to hinder us. We rest for lunch by a lake surrounded by kargarok quickly slain and keep at a steady pace through the short grass until dinner time, stopping only as we encounter a peculiarly dressed man (he wears no trousers!) in a red cap. He calls himself a mailman and delivers us a letter – from himself, truly an oddity! – and begs us not to flee when we see him next. Interesting that he would say that. He tells us to go no further, stating that there is a black wall ahead, but we dismiss him and follow the twilight. I wonder if Link can sense the darkness as we do, him being a hero of light or whatnot.

The black wall now looms before us, covered in orange symbols creatures of the light can never hope to read. It is ominous; even Ooccoo is silent as we come upon it. The Eldin province, bathed in twilight. Unsurprising.

I motion for Ooccoo Junior to perch on the back of my palm. "You should stay out here."

"But why?" Junior asks, pouting slightly. "Aren't we going on an adventure with mama and you and Gale and Midna and Link, Maeva?"

"It isn't safe inside," Link agrees. "You'll all turn into spirits and you won't be able to follow us. Ooccoo, Gale, you should stay here, too. We'll return for you – when we restore Eldin province."

"Ooh, such confidence!" Midna taunts, slipping out of his shadow. "Are you sure you'll be so quick?"

Link nods and gives them the last of our food rations. "Here. If we don't return in a day…"

"You will, Link! We believe in you!" says Gale.

"All right, then," Midna giggles. "When you're ready! And don't worry, Link, when you turn into a beast again, Maeva will take good care of you! Won't you, Maeva?" And she dives into the twilight.

"Thank you," he says, granting me and the boomerang a small smile. I didn't say I would! "You should all be safe here. Even the bokoblins don't tread near the twilight…I think."

"They don't," I say. "Now, let's go. Unless you fear entrance to the twilight once more."

"I'm not," Link answers. Wh-_What _is he doing? I shield my eyes and turn around. I feel heat rising to my face. Am I unwell? I can't afford to be unwell before we go into the twilight! I distract myself with the sight of Ooccoo covering a giggling Gale and a curious Ooccoo Junior until Link taps me on the shoulder.

"Please hold this for me while I'm in that form," he tells me, giving me his hero's apparel, his shield, and his sword. Is he…fully disrobed? I am too distracted to refuse his request.

I look to the human for a fraction of a second – his cerulean eyes capture mine, but I turn away before they can keep me.

"I trust you, Maeva, though I know you don't trust me," he says, placing his hand on my bare arm. "I hope you know that."

"It isn't wise," I manage to choke out – how foolish I must sound! – and remove his hand from my person. "It isn't wise to bestow such a binding thing to a complete stranger."

"I've never been known for my wisdom," Link chuckles, and then calls out to the black wall. "I'm ready."

I turn around. "Just a mome—"

He's gone. I suppose I should follow, too. I bite my lip uncomfortably. I would sooner throw myself off a cliff than admit it, but…is it wrong to have thought – to have been unable to help but think…that Link had a nice posterior?

Of course, I am not, in any way, saying that I am interested in the rest of him! Or even that part of him, for that matter!

Ugh…that human…

When I enter the twilight, Midna is resting on Link's back, breathing a sigh of contentment. "The black clouds of twilight are so fetching today. I feel so much more at ease here! And you look so much better like this than in those dusty old clothes anyway. Don't you agree, Maeva?"

The wolf turns in surprise. He didn't catch my scent as I entered? If he can't even do that…

"It might be safer to say that I don't care at the moment," I answer, refusing to even look at her as we walk. I want to leave this place, this perpetual sunset drenched in an eerie quiet. There is nothing serene or fetching about the place. Where is that light spirit? I run forward, out of the path surrounded by rocks, batting away the spores of darkness rising from the ground and leaving them behind, but I don't go far. I can't, rather. A gorge dividing the rest of Eldin province greets me as I skid to a halt. I could jump this length, if only…but I don't want to look that way again. In any case, there are no more monkeys to help swing us across, only a broken bridge…

"Maeva, where have you gone now?"

I wait for Link and Midna to catch up with me. "It's dangerous," I tell them, holding an arm out to block them.

"Hmm?" Midna floats away from Link to peer over the edge and laughs. "How troublesome! Maeva, won't you find a way to help that princess?"

I sigh. "I remember a bridge looking severely out of place in Faron woods. If you would kindly open a portal…"

"Playing the hero, hmm?" Midna giggles. "Well, I'll oblige you. Hah!" Midna throws her head back, dark magic emanating from her body, and then a portal opens up in the air. Unsheathing my staff and imagining the bridge in North Faron woods, I allow Midna's shadows to pick apart at my body until there is naught but air.

"Hey, hey, it's Maeva!"

Oh, no.

"Trill," I greet the shrieking bird, dusting myself off. I would show annoyance so he might at least lower the volume of his voice, but I am in a hurry. Making my way towards where I remember the bridge was, I ask, "How goes your business?"

"Hahh," sighs the bird, landing on my shoulder. Only Ooccoo Junior can do that without irritating me. Everyone else is much too heavy! "It's rough, having to watch a shop in this unpopular part of town!" he says, "Even though I watch after this shop every day, he never shows any appreciation!"

"Who never shows any appreciation?" I place my hand on the bridge. It is smooth, most of it, with only a few cracks on the planks. This should be easy enough.

"My master, Coro! I think he probably didn't get much praise growing up…" Coro? I wonder if he even knows this bird's name.

"I see. Trill, I wish you luck. I still have much to do."

He doesn't notice the tendrils of shadow lapping themselves over the bridge's form and laughs. "Don't we all? Well, tell Link I said hi!"

"I will," I say, and stomp my staff against the ground thrice. Just a moment…where were we earlier? The bridge should cover the gorge, but—no!

The portal picks me apart too early, before I can finalize the image in my mind. All I thought was the Eldin Province, and now–

My head aches.

Sobbing.

I wasn't specific enough. Behind me are six humans in spirit form, one man and five children consisting of two girls and three boys. I have returned to the twilight, at least, but – wait… Could these be the Ordonians Link spoke of? Not one of them looks his age, as this Ilia is supposed to be, but…

Oh, yes. The sobbing. One of the girls possesses light brown hair and freckles and sobs in the adult's arms. The other, with short, dark hair and drooping eyes, leans against the man as well. I would have confused him for a woman with his long, dark brown hair and plump lips had I not seen his eyes, determined and responsible, and his stance. He sits like a man – like Link, actually.

Speaking of which—

"I just want to go home!" the sobbing girl lets out, her eyes puffy with tears.

"Do not worry, Beth, you are safe here," says the man, patting the girl's shoulder lightly. Beth…? Beth, Hanch's daughter! These are the children. They are safe, and I can retrieve my bracelet. "No matter where it is, the darkness must always give way to the light."

"D-Do you really think so, Mister Renado?" another child asks – a boy, dark haired with small eyebrows and a red band around his head. On one of his sides sits a boy his height, hair blond but not quite golden, and on the other sits the youngest one, with the same short eyebrows as the child who spoke and whose leather jerkin reaches down past his feet.

"I know it, Talo," Renado replies, still with a smile. Even as a spirit, he remains brave and kind, unafraid – finally, a tolerable human besides Zelda. He possesses a calmness I have not seen in many men, though as opposed to Link, he is dark-skinned. Why do I compare them? Link is a young man and Renado is full-grown, of age.

"Where have you _been_? We're on a tight schedule here, in case you've failed to notice!" Midna yells in my ear as my surroundings are suddenly of an open field. I stand before waterfalls leading into a spring, and behind me lies a village. She summoned me? That must have taken quite the energy. Is she all right?

"I apologize…forgive me!" I repeat, covering my ears as she continues to reprimand me. "I went ahead of you – but I couldn't find the light spirit…"

Midna frowns. "It's fine, we already found him. Here." She tosses me another Vessel, much like the one from Faron. "We have to collect those bugs again."

"All right," I nod, wrapping the Vessel around my wrist. No light yet. "Where do we begin?"

"We start…" Midna looks around, wagging her finger, until it lands on a large, hut-like house. "There! You weren't with us when we spoke with the Eldin spirit, but you know the drill. Let's go!"

I shrug and follow the two as Midna leads Link into the hut through the roof – we land in the same area Midna pulled me from, the statue of an owl in the center of the room, Renado and the children beside it, and stairs hugging the walls beside candles that sit in holes in the wall like altars. I suppose I wasn't too far from Midna – but that was still risky.

"We are safe as long as we remain in here, child. Be at ease," Renado whispers, his own worried expression changing into one of reassurance. Judging by Link's wide blue eyes, these children truly are the Ordonians.

"Oh yeah?" Hmm? I didn't notice this before – a small man peering outside the window across Renado and the children raises an iron mask and quirks an eyebrow, frowning with obvious skepticism. "I wonder if the monsters out there agree with you. They sure didn't seem impressed by my bombs! How long do you think we can hold this sanctuary against beasts that strong, huh?" Bombs? Ha! If the monsters they speak of are shadow beasts, then those bombs were used in vain. They would do well to use light instead – but they know not any better. I shouldn't be surprised.

"Once they attack," the man continues, his voice growing louder. The children's cowering intensifies as well. "It's over! Remember that lady from the general store? Just one of those things attacked her, and a whole gang from town went to save her! And what happened? She was already gone, and there were _two_ monsters waitin'! You connectin' the dots? That means if we get attacked by them, then we'll be…"

"_Barnes_!" Renado shouts, but even then his voice is smooth and fluid.

"Look, Renado…" Barnes sighs, slumping back in his seat. "All I mean to say is that it's risky here, too! Ain't you got some place we can hide?"

Renado looks to the center of the room. Midna yawns while Link watches the children intently. "There is…a cellar."

"What?" Barnes jumps – to action, he must think. But he can do nothing. "You got a cellar? Where's the entrance man?"

"The entrance to the cellar is designed to open when all of the candles have been lit," Renado answers. Barnes lights a flame on the torch under the owl statue, but the little girl with the dropping eyes – she must be tired – who shares her beauty with Renado, shakes her head.

"I…would not do that. When Father instructed me to secure the cellar, I saw insects like the beasts outside."

Beth starts crying again. My, my. Then again, I performed my own share of quaking and shivering when he had me trapped like an animal.

"Don't cry, Beth!" says the blond boy, rubbing her back. "It'll be okay! Link is coming to save us all – I can _feel_ it!" Hmm? Link will save them? He depends on him instead of his own father, or the adults of their village? Perhaps there is a reason the human is expected to be Mayor when the time comes…but it matters little to me.

Midna's giggle breaks the both of us out of our reverie. "These kids knew you'd come to save them! What a hero!" She pats his head and ruffles his fur, her mirth uncontrollable. "How sad, to be right in front of someone and not be noticed at all…" Her eyes flash at me before hiding behind uncalled for glee. "Eee hee hee! You are chosen by the gods, and only that keeps you from turning into a spirit, or worse, into a dark monster, when you enter the twilight. No one knows what you've done – you may be doomed to toil in obscurity forever… you're the type to worry about everything, I can tell! But don't you fret for these children, they can still be saved. Let's get those insects – even if it's not very subtle at all, all this candle stuff…" Midna rolls her visible eye. "So, what are you going to do now? Our lonely little hero…Ah, well, at least little Maeva's here to keep you company!"

"Me?" I point to myself out of shock. "What gave you that idea?"

"Actually, _I'm_ giving you the idea." Midna corrects me sternly.

I shake my head. "No, perhaps we should split up so as to find the insects faster. Don't you think so?" I ask the wolf, who turns his head away and shrugs his shoulders. What could that mean? In any case, I turn to Midna. "I will take that as a yes."

"Hmph!" Midna crosses her small arms. "Fine. You look for the insects outside. We'll catch up – go! Go." She waves a hand at me dismissively, and once she and Link turn away, I climb the stairs and jump out of the roof with my staff, which allows me to tap into my limited power.

This place is desolate. I wonder if it was in tatters even before the twilight – houses boarded up, windows shattered to the sides. I approach a small house that makes the Vessel hum, and it is so dilapidated that a single rap on the door causes it to collapse backward.

I step into the house – a store, I now see. There are some items, but it all seems abandoned now. Everything is free for the taking, but there is nothing of value to take. All the bottles have shattered on the floor, and the weapon racks are empty. The humans here must have attempted to challenge the shadow beasts without knowledge of what they truly were.

Is there an insect here? The Vessel vibrates, letting out a dying whistle. It is too weak to sing yet. But Renado did say – the darkness must give way to the light, no matter where it is. Of course! Why didn't I think of this before? I strike the ground with my staff. Tendrils of shadow spread through the ground, like water droplets down a smooth slope of rock. They rise and fall along the shop, searching through each nook and cranny until I feel – something – a familiar darkness, _his_ darkness augmented by his god's power. As though the Vessel senses what I can, it lets out a sharp, clear whistle. There is an insect here.

There it is. My tendrils wrap themselves around the insect, sitting inside a small pot, and crush it, releasing the light – ow! The shadow tendrils disappear. I release my staff for a moment, hands burning, but catch it before it falls to the ground. The light…attacked me! When_ I_ saved it! I suppose it makes no distinctions – in its eyes I am still as much of a monster as the man who created the insect that bound it. The light enters the Vessel within my wrist, but the makeshift bracelet continues to vibrate. There are more insects nearby.

It leads me out of the house and onto a rising slope behind the store. I jump easily over to the house, a smile on my lips as I feel the wind in my hair again. It has been so long since I was able to leap so freely. I suppose everything comes with a price. I drop into the house through a window near the roof, smoothing the shadows along the walls again, finding the insects easily, but release the shadows once the insect is crushed. Two – no, five more bulbs on the Vessel light up. Midna must have found three others.

I press on and climb another hill behind a locked house, where I assume a shop of bombs stands. (There are pictures of bombs beside the door.) The shop is filled with grilles containing explosives – perhaps it isn't so much a shop as a storage room of sorts? There are more pieces of paper tacked against the walls, but they contain only one message – two lines crossed over the picture of a flame.

I shrug and crouch down to pick up a familiar explosive.

_I track his hordes down to a farming village, but I am too late. Everything is burning – their crops, their homes, their bodies. But I can still defeat him, I know it!_

_I slip past his guards and find him, clothed in that ridiculous armor. "You!" I scream at him, barely able to contain my rage. "I've found you at last!"_

_He turns a head slightly and lifts his mask; but only as far as his mouth. He won't even meet my eyes. His lips turn up to form a familiar smirk – once amused, once fond, now derisive. "Maeva," he utters, raising a hand to stop the bulblins, those barbaric, green pig-monsters, from approaching. My legs begin to shake. I didn't think this far. I didn't think I would even reach him, I realize – which speaks of my own confidence – and now I realize I have not the strength to challenge him in a fair fight. Not with his magic. "Have you changed your mind? You may join me yet."_

This bomb was the same device he used on me that day, I'm certain of it. I stand and approach the stairs, the Vessel humming, only to stumble on a piece of wood I didn't notice on the floor and fall on my elbows. The explosive flies out of my hand and falls into the lit fireplace.

_"No. No, I've come to destroy you!" I cry, and in the twilight he carries all around him I am able to leap at him, staff raised – only to be tackled by a bulblin. "Release me!" I demand, kicking away the monster, but it bears a tight grasp on my ankle. "I demand you face me fairly, you traitor! You murderer!"_

_"Hmm?" he tilts his head, still smiling. "You are as guilty of this as any of these savages, Maeva. In fact, without your help, I never would have been able to persuade her that I was a worthy man. And who was it that killed her own parents for the sake of a false monarch?"_

_The bulblins outnumber me and force my wrists together until they are bound. I struggle, biting at them, but they bite back and I can only turn away in disgust. He laughs. "Oh, Maeva. You never did grow up." His smile fades as he hands an explosive to a bulblin, his expression that of scalding indifference. I know it shouldn't, but it pains me. We were friends, once. He was a brother to me! "Throw it in with the child. Perhaps _she_'ll turn up when we return for the ashes."_

_"I am no child!" I protest, screaming incoherently, but they gag my mouth, too, and throw me into a burning house with my staff. My eyes widen as the explosive lights itself against the flaming walls. I force my eyelids open despite the light, remembering that I _can_, and come face-to-face with a dead human, nearly white with death. Blank eyes stare back at me and I can't help but scream against the hemp as I hear the savages and his laughter drive further and farther away, the hooves of their bullbo dying to the hissing of the flames._

_I concentrate. I must. I grip my staff behind me, struggling to grasp the shadows and spread them out around myself, but my body is too uneven a surface for my current abilities and I can barely breathe, now. My eyes water. I don't know if I cry for lack of air or for my failed duty to protect the princess._

_"Maeva!" I hear her voice. Was he right? Was she really just there? I thought she'd forsaken me. "Maeva, don't breathe in the flames! Do you hear me?"_

I can still feel the fire licking at my feet, eating its way through my clothes and being dragged out of the house in a coughing fit—

"Maeva!" I feel something soft and wet on my face and am suddenly forced to sit up as I continue to wheeze, gasping for air. I blink. Black muzzle, scent of grass – Link? I push the wolf's face away and wipe my own in disgust.

"You idiot!" Midna wakes me from my trance again. "Do you have some kind of death wish? If Link didn't sense you getting yourself burned to death and dragged you out of the house, you would have died!"

"I'm sorry." I hold my aching head and look up, unable to hide my shame if only for the memory of another fire. Three Tears enter the vessel. "In any case…we have nine Tears."

"Thirteen, actually. We took care of the ones you overlooked," she snaps, clearly unhappy with me. I glare at Link, still wiping my face. Wolf saliva is so…glutinous. "The rest are up there, on that red mountain. And don't you take this out on Link, Maeva! He was only trying to wake you!"

"All right, let's go." I roll my eyes…inwardly. I force myself to stand, cringing at the sight of what is left of that house. Who lights a fire in a room filled with explosion, in any case?

"Who says you're coming?"

I scoff at her. "The Vessel is with _me_."

"The Tears will find the vessel anyway! You stay here – you're still weak from that explosion you caused."

"I'm not weak!"

"No." Midna's nostrils flare. "You're stubborn! Ugh! Arguing is a waste of time with you. Hurry and get up if you want to come!"

"I will!" And I do. Hmph. Why is she so angry? Link has only had to save me this once!

The mountain is a long climb, and when we reach a little higher than its base, I climb a set of grilles lined against the rock wall and find a spirit – but not that of a human's. Midna calls it a Goron – beings made of rock (or, at the very least, possess skin as hard and tough as rock), but who are able to speak the human tongue. They don't seem to mind the twilight and think nothing of it, focusing instead on the apparent rift between them and the humans. The elders have decided this, one of the Gorons think out loud. I wonder what has occurred, but it is none of my business at the moment and there is much more to do.

Higher up on the mountain, on the way to the insects, there are elevated craters in the ground that spout _smoke_ – I don't understand why, but Midna says the mountain is hotter than most and so must release hit through these tiny craters called fumaroles. I avoid them, as the heat is almost as painful as flame, allow the Vessel to lead us through.

At one point, near a white, glowing rock, Link stops.

"What's this?" I ask the wolf. "Let's move."

"Wait," says Midna, temporarily leaving Link's back. "This feels familiar…"

Link presses a paw to the white stone, and suddenly I feel his presence dying, flickering, like a weak flame…

"No!" I gasp, reaching out to grab his fur. As a flurry of heat and cold surround me, I turn back, my last vision of the hot mountain being an alarmed Midna.

We are suddenly on a cliff. I yelp, grabbing the nearest object. My hands find smooth fur, and I look to see Link – in wolf form, oh yes, we were in the twilight, weren't we? – staring down at me. I release him, finding instead stability on the ground, and survey our surroundings. There is nothing below us but the sky – how is that possible? And all around us are places I wouldn't have thought could exist so close to each other: Hyrule Castle, the red mountain we were in just moments ago (those were only moments ago, weren't they? How long have we been here? I seem to have lost all sense of time), a white mountain surrounded in clouds, and behind a cliff across us, woods that might resemble Faron.

"Where are we?" I can only whisper, peering over the cliff to see the sky. I feel as though speaking out of turn might have my tongue separated from me – this is a holy place. I think. "Where is she…?"

I feel fur on my left hand. Link is pulling me away from the edge with a paw. I obey, unable to think negatively of him, wherever this is. I open my mouth to speak more, to ask again where in all the realms I might be, but he licks my face before I can say anything. He wants me to be quiet. I should say something, react angrily because I don't like Link and the competition he poses – but it is so peaceful here. I'll…I'll be quiet.

"I'll be quiet," I whisper, nodding off and closing my eyes, but the wolf licks my face again. When I open my eyes, he motions to the cliff across us – the golden wolf. I recognize it as the golden wolf from the forest temple, but feel no hostility towards it. Not here.

Link positions himself and sits up straight, a paragon of elegance and courage. That's what he is, isn't he? He lifts his head and starts howling. It is a song, I'm certain of it – nothing else could be so haunting and beautiful at the same time. It matches the melodies of the light spirits in quality and effect; what could this mean? I look across the sky and see the golden wolf join Link in his howling. He seems blurry – and only then do I realize that tears are dripping down my face. I gasp.

When I return to my senses, the song has ceased and the golden wolf is barking something at Link. I cannot hope to understand him and so turn away. Have I trespassed on ground on which I shouldn't have treaded?

I wipe my tears. When I open my eyes again, we are faced with a very angry Midna. She yells mostly at Link, and then to me, asking me where in the realms we went. I say I wondered the same thing, but she is too busy being angry to listen. Residues of the tranquility left over in my mind cause me only to smile. I should be angry with Link for taking me so far away, for causing me such fright, but that song…if he ever brings it up as a human, I know I will lash out. If he says nothing, I will take the secret to my grave.

Nothing of interest occurs as we complete the Vessel. The Gorons are fond of a hot spring within the red mountain, which might be nice if it weren't already too hot.

When we destroy the last insect in the hot spring, the Vessel unlatches itself from me once more.

"Aww, I was just starting to have fun! …Well, don't forget the Fused Shadow," Midna says, having had forgiven us by the time we reached the hot springs, and glances back at the growing light before diving back at Link's feet. "See you later!"

I shield my eyes from the light, and then feel the water against my feet. I look down, seeing bare feet beside me – Link. Bare-chested and… I dig into my pouch and throw Link's clothes at him, including his boots. I cover my face with his shield and hold the sword out with another hand as the light spirit unfurls to reveal a beautiful owl with glowing symbols. Eldin.

The light spirit introduces itself as much, and now Link is the _great_ hero chosen by the gods. Eldin's melody is much more expressive, almost _eager_, though I don't dare attempt to interpret such a divine being. It tells Link that the dark power we seek lies in the red mountain – the _Death _Mountain, it appears to be called – in the sacred grounds of the proud mountain dwellers. The Gorons, it must mean. After bidding Link aid the Gorons, who seem to have been afflicted with twilight as well (though I saw them afflicted with nothing but dislike for humans when we passed them), Eldin disappears. I still wonder if I am truly invisible to the light spirits or if they simply choose to ignore me because of my form.

Link, now fully clothed, approaches me. Does he expect more gratitude? The light spirit had enough of that to last us all. He takes me by the arms, his callous fingers rough against my skin – my skin? Of course. I barely noticed that the fire burned through my wrappings.

Still. "Link! What do you think you're…doing…" I reluctantly refrain from any more complaints as he rubs more of the red potion on my arms. The stinging, which I grew accustomed to as we neared the red mountain, is allayed. When he stops, I ask, "Are you done?"

Link returns the potion bottle in his pouch and smiles. "You're welcome," he says. "Thank you…for taking care of me."

My eyebrows furrow. "I did noth—"

"Link?"

We turn around in surprise. Of course. The little blond boy who was trying to comfort the others earlier. I hear many more gasps of _Link? _from within Renado's hut and soon all the humans file out, including Renado himself and Barnes, the smaller man.

The blond boy stands in the way of the others and is inadvertently shoved to the ground as the rest of the children run towards their hero as well as the gods'. The youngest one with the loose leather jerkin pauses and glances back, as though contemplating on whether to help him or not, but shakes his head and plods on forward. I think of helping the blond – I remember a little girl who was like him, once – but he might only fear me. And that little girl learned to pick herself up. He should, too.

Talo, if I remember his name correctly, turns to Beth. "Ha ha ha! See, Beth? I _told_ you Link would save us!"

No, he didn't…

"You are the one from Ordon whom these children spoke of?" comes Renado's baritone voice. He approaches us with a smile, but his eyes are on Link. "We are well met. I am Renado, shaman of this town. And this," he points to the calmer of the girls, "is my daughter, Luda."

Link inclines his head in acknowledgment. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking care of them." He motions to me. "This is—"

"The beasts took us and left us to die!" the blond boy exclaims, joining the group surrounding Link. I stay a little ways behind him, off to the side. The boy's interruption might have irritated me if I didn't so pity his struggle to rise and join the mass of the hero's adoring fans. "But Mr. Renado found us."

Renado's eyebrows furrow in affirmation. "At first, I couldn't believe they had come from so distant a place as Ordona province."

"Yeah, I…" the blond boy motions to the rest of the children, save for Luda. "We don't remember much. All of a sudden everyone was captured, and then…until now, it's been like…"

"A nightmare." I blink. The youngest boy can talk? It seems I've underestimated humans.

"Mmm…" Renado sighs heavily. "Nightmares are everywhere these days, it seems. Kakariko village has certainly seen its share of recent hardships. The dark beasts attacked, but even worse was the sudden and inexplicable change in the mountain-dwelling Goron tribe."

"What has happened with the Gorons?" I ask. Renado, Barnes, and the children finally notice me. The shaman acknowledges me with a smile.

"They had long been our friends," he explains, "but suddenly treated us as foes. Even now, they refuse to permit us entry into their mines. It strains the limits of belief, to think that such a gentle and proud tribe could change so suddenly… It makes me wonder if something in those mines is the cause of this change. In any case, you must take these children and flee this village before more nightmares descend. I, of course, cannot leave my village in such a time. There is no telling what may happen to us here. But it is my job to try to coax the Gorons back from their recent change of heart."

The wolf's song echoes in my mind. "We cannot leave," I suddenly spout. "We cannot leave you to your fate." Link _gapes_ at me in shock, but I ignore him, hiding my own surprise. What did I just…? I was doing it for the mountain, of course. The Fused Shadow that lies within the mountain that Midna wants – this is the only way not to raise suspicion. Of course.

"Thank you," says Renado. "You are…?"

"Oh! This is Maeva," Link says, his hand on my back, gently moving me forward. He shouldn't touch me… "Actually, I…couldn't have rescued the village without her help." I stare at Link in bewilderment. Why is he giving me the glory? Why is he being so—

"Ah! Well, then, your acquaintance honors me," Renado adds, but Barnes and the children can only give me odd looks.

"_You_ helped save the village?" Beth steps towards me and grabs my arm, inspecting the symbols on my skin, only to cry out in disgust as she feels the red potion Link smeared on me earlier. She frowns at me condescendingly. "What's with these ugly markings?"

_Ugly_?

"Yeah!" Talo nears me, too. "This is so weird…they look like the symbols those…shadows…that came with the pigs had!"

_Those shadows_…

"Are you sure you're not evil?" Beth narrows her eyes at me. I refrain from slapping the snobbish look off her face if only for the fact that Bo might count this as reneging on my promise to reassure the children's 'safety.' "You better not be trying to steal Link away!"

I take a deep breath so as not to lose control. Me? Steal Link away? Highly unlikely for me to bother with _him_. When Midna is finished using him and I have aided the princess and returned everything to right, I will never have to see him again! "I assure you—"

"Beth! Talo!" Link scolds them. "You're being disrespectful. Maeva is my friend, and she isn't in any way evil. I promise." He's…defending me?

"How _did_ you get those symbols, though? That kid was right, they look familiar," Barnes finally speaks, lifting his iron mask.

"I…" I am about to reply curtly when I remember Link. "My land. My land was the first to be taken by the twilight. I survived the slaughter, and their leader desired to test a theory – if my human form might withstand a nice branding. He began with their markings…but I escaped before he could continue."

"You poor thing!" Barnes cries out all of a sudden. Link's expression is filled with pity. If only he knew _what_ he was truly looking at. "You really should go home to them Ordonians, where you'll definitely be safe!"

I shake my head. "Nowhere is safe."

Their faces fall. What did they expect? Even Faron was swallowed by the twilight. Had we not freed the light spirit there, Ordon would have been captured as well.

"A-Anyway, I agree with Maeva!" Talo exclaims. He does? "I don't want to leave all these people just to save ourselves!"

"Come on, Link!" says Beth. Do they really depend on Link for everything? Even the adults in their village can't seem to do a thing on their own without him… "Can't you do something?"

"Isn't there some way to make up with the Gorons?" asks the blond boy.

"Colin's right. You'd think someone could go to the mines and do something…" the youngest boy mutters. So the blond one is Colin. The youngest must be Malo, then.

Luda takes me by the arm. "Maeva," she says, shaking her head, as if telling me not to do what we seem to be planning. I am still unaccustomed to human touch, but to a pleasant child like Luda, I feel inclined to listen. "Trying to go near the mines is very dangerous. I will be very sad to be separated from Colin and the others, but I know they must go. Please return them safely to their parents."

"But…" The Fused Shadow. And it is sad to see that the Gorons would so suddenly sever their friendship with the humans, I suppose… "You and the rest of the village."

"I do not know what it is in the Goron mines, but surely they will soon come to understand it, and right what is wrong. Do not concern yourself with us," says Renado. "You must flee this place as quickly as you can."

"Actually, Maeva's right," Link replies to Renado. I am? "As much as I want to bring the four back to Ordon as soon as possible, we can't just leave the three of you here. Maeva, let's go…to the Goron Mines!"

Hmph! Saying it as though it were his idea!

Despite the villagers and their attempt to follow and persuade us otherwise, Link and I head for Death Mountain. He is surprisingly quick on his feet, even as a human, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised about a young man in his prime outpacing two old men and five children. We soon arrive at the first set of grilles I climbed earlier, and Link decides to go first. Very well; I am not so eager to gather rust on my fingers again.

"Well?" I call out when he disappears from my sight. "Is the Goron—"

"Ahh!" Was that vibration a Goron screaming? "No humans allowed! These lands ahead belong to the Goron tribe! The elder said no human may pass!"

_Oof_! I fall on my stomach as Link lands on me. "The Gorons aren't very friendly," Link mutters, the first time I have ever seen him disappointed. "Sorry about that."

"Ugh, _please_ get off me, Link!" I push him off forcibly and climb the cliff myself, ignoring his protests. The Goron we earlier saw stomps back to his place. I might congratulate him for throwing Link off a cliff—

"Ho! Another human? You will never pass! You cannot hope to match our brute force!"

—if he isn't about to do the same to me! The ground shakes as he curls up into himself and rolls towards me, a living boulder! Where do I jump? My old instincts kick in and I look around in a panic, but too late do I realize that jumping is no longer an option, and I fall back before the Goron can pummel me off the cliff.

_Oof_! Again, except Link actually manages to catch me. This is only because he knew it would happen, of course. Oh, my back…

"I told you," says Link, setting me down. Taking a few steps back, he stares up at the cliff. "There's got to be another way…"

"Maybe, but we aren't going to use it now!" Midna says, suddenly resurfacing. "You're heavy and Maeva's tired. Bring her back down."

"I don't need help," I mumble, waving my hand at them and walking towards the grilles once more. If I could only summon enough strength to manipulate a shadow that might shield us…

"Yes, you do!" Midna insists, her flaming hair reaching out and grabbing me by the waist. "Link. _Now_."

"All right," Link chortles without protest, and picks me up from the ground.

"Link, put me down!"

"Sorry, Maeva," Link sighs before grinning down at me. "Midna's orders."

"Ugh…" I groan, turning my face away from his. Such close proximity – would not have been proper where we came from. "I am aware."

…

"Ah! How fortunate you are in one piece!" Renado exclaims, rushing towards us as we descend to the base of the mountain. "Are you trying to reach the Gorons of Death Mountain? It is far too dangerous for the two of you! They recognize only strength."

"We discovered that a little too late," Link says, wearing a sheepish expression. "

Renado nods. "A normal person could never persuade them… Were you hurt?"

"Not by the Gorons," I mutter, eliciting a slight chuckle from Link. "I'm only tired."

"A lesser of two evils – that is good to hear," says the shaman, and then his countenance becomes one of doubt. "Now, this might sound rather odd, but…might you know an odd creature that looks like a cucco, accompanied by a small, winged head and wielding a boomerang?"

"Oh!" Link nods. "Yes. They're our friends. They came to Kakariko Village? At this time of night?"

"Apparently, they thought your absence too long; as did I. When I set out of my home for the mountain, I saw them enter the village. They are currently at the inn."

"Thank you, Renado," says Link, inclining his head. "If you don't mind, Maeva needs rest. I should have enough rupees for a bed at the inn…"

"Oh, no," says Renado. "I couldn't ask you to pay for something so simple as lodgings and meals after what you've done for the village."

"I insist—"

"Allow Kakariko to show its gratitude," says Renado, very convincingly, placing a hand on Link's shoulder.

"Very well," says the hero, and we return to the lackluster Inn. Ooccoo, Ooccoo Junior and Gale wait for us on the second floor, where the beds are clean but half the room is boarded up. The three cheer for Link as soon as they catch the sight of him, having been cleaning the top floor in preparation for our return (this was mostly Gale's doing, I presume). Only Junior seems to notice me, though as soon as the human sets me down on a mattress, Ooccoo and Gale burst into a fit of worry, asking what happened and if I might need ointment for my back.

How can they worry for me so after all I've said to them?

"You did this, Link?" Ooccoo Junior gasps after hearing his explanation of the most recent events.

"It must have been an accident, Junior," says Ooccoo, patting him on the head with a wing.

"Was it?" Ooccoo Junior asks me repeatedly, flying left and right over my face.

"Yes, yes it was," I answer. As much as I would appreciate _some_one to stop fawning over him, it really was an accident, I suppose. An accident caused by his foolishness. Which still makes it his fault, but I don't believe Ooccoo and Gale follow this particular brand of logic.

"Sorry, Maeva," Link laughs, scratching the back of his head. Why must he apologize a second time? To please Ooccoo Junior?

Renado knocks on the wall and peeks his head inside. He gives Ooccoo and her son a curious glance, as well as the boomerang floating in the air on top of a small cyclone, but smiles still. "I am glad to see you have settled in…Link, may I speak with you in private?"

"Of course," says Link, and pats me on the shoulder before leaving the Inn with Renado. What made him think it was permissible for him to do that? And why does he speak differently with others?

I prop myself up against my elbows. "What are they talking about? I want to know."

"Oh, hush," says Ooccoo, flapping over to my bed and forcing me into another lying position. "You need your rest."

"I wasn't even really hurt," I say. "It was…It was Midna who needed to rest." Of course. Creating a portal for me and then summoning me again would have been nothing to her in the past, but now it is a task.

"Eee hee hee! What are you talking about?" says Midna, sidling up from Ooccoo Junior's shadow. "You were getting cranky. And if those Gorons were going to let you into their mountain, it wasn't going to be tonight!"

"But Maeva is _always_ cranky," Gale pipes in.

"I—" I pause for a moment to glare at the boomerang, then look again to Midna. "She has…a point. I suppose."

Midna laughs me off, as always. "If you insist, Maeva."

I pull the blankets over my body in resignation. Midna almost always wins an argument – why bother? While the other females discuss anything that comes to mind, I reach into my pouch at the base of my bed, expecting wilted petals to fall out. That magnolia flower the monkey gave me will surely have died now, I remember, but to my pleasant surprise, it still lives, as fresh and fragrant as when the monkey first placed it on my ear. How is this so? I ponder the many possibilities, the many magics that might have worked themselves upon the flower – but who could have cast them? Nobody – and come up with nothing. I return the flower inside my pouch, thinking perhaps the bag preserves flowers, but I have attempted to keep living things inside it before to no avail. When I surrender my theories to the higher powers, I close my eyes, willing sleep to come, but I keep wondering what Renado might want with Link so urgently that he might ask to speak with him, now, when we should all be resting. Even a hero chosen by the gods can't operate on just a few hours of sleep, and we have been on the move since dawn.

"I wonder how the Gorons saw us in the thick of night," I think out loud minutes or hours later. I can't tell how long I've been staring up at the ceiling.

"Go to sleep, Maeva," Gale grumbles to my left, lying on the bed she, Ooccoo and Ooccoo Junior share. The two winged creatures mumble something else in agreement.

"I can't," I reply, but no one else answers. Why should they? We aren't exactly friends, and I shouldn't expect them to. I turn my back on them, intending to lie on my side, and find Link on the other bed to my right, briefly glancing at me before returning his gaze to the ceiling, wearing only his white undershirt and Ordonian trousers. His hat, gloves, tunic, and hauberk lie folded on the bedside table, his shield, sword and boots resting against it beside my staff.

"Link," I mutter, doing my best to lace in exasperation. I'm tired, but I don't feel particularly irate towards him at the moment. Call it gratitude for carrying me down the mountain (_not_ that I needed aid) or whatever you will. The bottom line now is that I can't fall asleep. That wolf's howling still haunts me – it is so difficult to imagine that it was Link _singing_ that melody. "When did _you _return?"

"A while back," he answers, his stare boring into mine in the darkness. I don't think he can see me, but I see him perfectly. "Did I wake you?"

"I said I couldn't sleep, didn't I?"

"_Shh_," Gale insists.

"Sorry," Link whispers.

I roll my eyes, but I understand how one might want to sleep. "What did Renado want?" I ask him in the same volume.

"He told me that the Ordon village mayor can teach us how to face the Gorons," Link replies. I inch closer to hear him better. "Bo was able to gain their respect before."

I give it some thought. "When your villagers tried to attack me that one night, it was Bo who called them to a halt."

Link pauses, his eyes widening in surprise. What is it? But I don't ask. He might ask how I know of his alarm. After a long pause, he smiles. I cannot grasp the workings of this human at all. "Bo is a good man, fit to be Mayor."

"As _you _are?" I challenge.

In the darkness, he shrugs and closes his eyes. "Some people seem to think so."

"Those children adore you more than they do their parents."

"It's only a phase."

"_Please. _Go. To sleep."

"Sorry, Gale," Link chuckles softly, his eyes darting elsewhere, before they land on me again. He is looking right at me. Can he really not see in the dark? "We should probably sleep now."

"I was going to sleep," I say, covering my ear with a hand. "Until I saw you awake."

Link only shakes his head and smiles, closing his eyes after running his hands through his hair. What is so funny? Why does he find everything so amusing? "Good night, Maeva."

I huff, rolling my eyes. I can't not answer – he'll know I was doing it on purpose. "Good _night_."

He's still smiling.

I wake up to the first beam of sunlight shooting in through the cracks and at the familiar, yet distant shrieking of bulblins. What is foreign to my ears is a panicked neighing, but that slips my mind as I shoot up in bed and reach for my staff. Link has already made his bed while Ooccoo, Junior, and Gale are still sound asleep.

I make no attempts to silence my steps, allowing the floorboards to creak as I run through the second floor and peer over the balcony just in time to catch Link running out of the Inn, sword and shield in hand. Instinctively, I jump over the balcony, gasping mid-air in grim realization of what I've done, but I land better than expected, rolling over only once and getting to my feet immediately.

I reserve time for applauding myself later and follow Link outside. Directly across me, a brown mare with a silvery-white mane gallops across the road of Kakariko, shaking off three green cackling bulblins. Link ceases this swiftly, stabbing them through the heart before they can rise, and shouts after the horse. He manages to climb her saddle and keeps calling out a word – _Epona_? – as she throws herself about the village wildly, nearly crashing into a few houses. She shakes off Link a few times, throwing him to the ground and causing him to land painfully on his posterior, but he always finds a way to jump back on her and is able to wrangle the mare after much effort.

"There, there girl," he whispers into her ear, riding close, waiting for the horse to calm down. When she comes to a stop, he dismounts, removes his fingerless gloves and brushes a hand against her mane. "It's me, Epona. It's Link."

The horse whinnies before nuzzling his face. So she belongs to him. Link chuckles. "That's a good girl."

"So young, and yet already of so much merit."

"Oh!" I glance to my right – when did Renado arrive? How is he awake at this hour? "Oh, you mean _Link_." Hmph. "Perhaps."

Renado pauses before speaking again, eyes still on Link and Epona. I follow his gaze as he speaks. "I will pray you have a safe trip back to Ordon, As for the Gorons, I am sure Bo will be able to impart how best to win their trust."

"I hope so. Pray your village stays safe as well," I reply.

"Ready to go, Maeva?" Link slowly walks up to us, pulling Epona along. "Or…am I interrupting something?"

"No, not all. Return safely," Renado smiles, wrapping his robe around himself more tightly and walking away.

When he is gone, I stare at the mare curiously. I have never looked upon a horse this close. But then I suppose the only animals I ever truly encountered before Midna chose to travel with Link were bats.

"Go on," Link says. "You can pet her. She won't mind."

I take a step back. "Animals don't often take to me." Not that we had any sort of animal back home, but this magnificent horse carries the look of one who seems to know when one is truly of the darkness, whether they chose to be or not.

"Epona's intelligent. She'll know you're a friend."

"I doubt it," I reply, but find myself reaching for the horse anyway. I feel a bit of her silky mane – and cringe, but no apprehensive neighing comes. I open my eyes and find the horse only staring at me. That…is more encouraging than any reaction bats have ever given me.

I smooth my fingers over the space between her eyes, the short bristles her soft hair pleasant to the touch. Epona only whinnies softly and nuzzles my wrist. I retract my hand in shock. Such an intimate gesture from a beast. Perhaps she is more intelligent, if she knows I wish no threat upon her.

"Epona will be bringing us back to Ordon village," Link says, interrupting my moment with the mare. How rude… "Won't you, girl?"

Epona replies with an eager neigh. (Purely presumption on my part. But she does jerk her head in a manner that resembles a nod.) Wait…

"No," I say. "Your mare mustn't be accustomed to two riders at a time—"

"It'll be all right," Link waves me off. I might take offense if I am not fully focused on convincing him that a horse ride is unnecessary. "Epona's a strong horse. Her stamina is unsurpassable. And she'll cut down on travel time."

"But…"

Mirth spreads over Link's features. "You've never ridden a horse before, have you?"

…

"Wooooooooohooooooo!" Ooccoo shrieks at the top of her lungs, her claws digging into Link's head. He doesn't seem to mind and only laughs, hands tight around Epona's reins. Gale giggles all around us, the boomerang spinning a controlled cyclone that sends the wind in our faces. To her credit, the breeze is just right so that none of my hair enters my face. Link's odd-looking hat kept sidling up my nose earlier, so I tucked it inside the back of his tunic. He didn't seem to mind – not that I wouldn't have done it even if he did.

"Wheeeeeeee!" Ooccoo Junior giggles obliviously beside us, flapping his wings as fast as he can. I should think he grows tired by now, but the oocca (their race is called thus, allegedly) only smiles.

"Maeva!" Oh! I nearly fall back against Epona's saddle. Ooccoo has turned around and lowered her head towards me! She still isn't a pleasant sight. "You're losing your grip!" she shouts in my face.

"All right, all right!" I move her head away from me and wrap my arms tighter around the human. Reluctantly.

"That's better," says Ooccoo.

I wish I could say the same – this is all Link's fault! I told him that of course I'd ridden a horse before! What did he think I was? Inexperienced? And then he said he would gather the others and that I should mount Epona, in the meanwhile…a feat I obviously failed at. But _only_ because I was still tired from the Goron encounter… But the human saw through it – when has he been so perceptive? – and only said he wouldn't laugh at the fact that I had never ridden a horse before and helped me up on Epona. We left Kakariko Village soon after, and now… Now I feel a bit nauseated… We've been riding nonstop, save for a short meal under the hot midday sun. I may see my lunch again sooner than I expected.

Link must feel my shoulders lurch, because he turns around amidst the foolish joyous laughter and asks, "Are you dizzy, Maeva?" he blinks at the sight of me. "You don't look so good…"

"I'm perfectly fine!" I answer indignantly, though I feel my head start to spin.

"If you're sure," he says, turning his gaze back to Hyrule field. We ride for another hour or so until we finally reach trees that have become familiar to me. Epona skirts around edges, jumping over perilous shrubs, and soon we come upon a clearing with a hut and a cauldron.

"Hey, guy!" Coro waves from his seat beside the cauldron. He screams like a—"Girl! …chicken?" —as Epona nearly jumps over him. The birds screech as they flee, but the man only waves them off. "All right, just tell me later!"

Link laughs, waving back, and Epona gallops straight into Ordon, not stopping until she nearly steps on a human. Oh! The pregnant woman – Uli – walking beside an older, more plump one. Link jumps off his horse and helps me down. Not that I couldn't do it on my own.

"Link?" the pregnant woman gasps. "And…you…"

"Sera, Uli." Link gives them a kind smile. "The children are in Kakariko Village. They're safe."

"What's that?" Sera gasps, tears brimming in her eyes, though she attempts to fan them away. "Oh, thank goodness they're all still alive!" She and Uli embrace each other in relief. "I have to tell everyone!" she runs off and knocks on all the village doors, telling them about the news we bear. But Ilia is still missing, isn't she?

"Thank you so much, Link," Uli says tearfully, squeezing Link's hands. Why is she sobbing? She should be happy, shouldn't she?

The villagers gather round us, excluding one of the men that tried to attack me a few nights previous: Rusl. Hanch and Bo, as well as the short man and a woman who seems to be his wife are with them. I see the resemblance now – Uli is Colin's mother. Sera and Hanch, as he so loudly stated before, are Beth's parents, and the brothers Malo and Talo are the offspring of the short man. In any case, they all cheer at the news of their children's safety, thumping Link on the back or embracing him outright. It isn't until they calm down when the villagers take note of my presence. Gale, Ooccoo, and Ooccoo Junior are fortunate. Epona decided to take a stroll around the village first, allowing them to escape the suspicious looks of Link's friends.

"L-Link," Hanch stutters, his completely tousled hair (at least, what is left of it) evidence of his worry for Beth. "What are you doing with that girl? Don't you know she's suspicious? A-And her arms! More of those markings – she was hiding them before! You know why? Because she's one of them!"

Only Bo and Uli don't gasp in horror.

"No, she _isn't_," Link says, raising his arm in my defense. Why…? "She tried to help you one night, but you drove her away. Those markings were put there by the same monsters that took us."

The women gasp and whisper to each other, staring at me pitifully. I should have used this excuse before! Then maybe…

"I-Is that so?" Bo asks.

"Yes," I hiss, pushing Link's arm aside and stepping forward. "Now, if you would kindly return my bracelet—"

"We said we'd give it back when the children were back here!" Hanch suddenly yells.

I don't like that man.

"Actually," Uli steps forward. "I…was listening even after Rusl told me to stay inside…you said you'd give it back to her once the children were safe. And since they _are_ safe…"

"Ilia! What of Ilia?" Bo runs to Link and shakes him violently by the shoulders. The rest of the villagers start talking amongst themselves about their children and soon forget us. "Just tell me Ilia is safe…"

Link hangs his head in shame. I'm not certain how to feel about this – I take pleasure in knowing he has failed in _some_thing, but this Ilia is at risk, and though I don't really care about her one way or another, I have experienced the failure of being unable to defend one's own friends, be it against outside forces or from themselves.

"Ilia wasn't in Kakariko village," Link says, when Bo's hands drop from him and the Mayor's breath hitches in fear. "But we will find her, Bo. I promise." But really, it's no wonder they expect him to be Mayor of Ordon one day – he is only difficult when he's with me! I understand now why he was speaking differently with Renado. When he speaks with adults, he embodies maturity. But in my company all he ever does is laugh and smile. Infuriating!

"Renado sends his regards," I interrupt. I must participate in the conversation and avert my aggravation towards the human. "And – I suppose you may keep the bracelet until Ilia is safe. She was part of the bargain, after all." Heroes are held by their oaths, aren't they? Which side of_ him_ said that to me once, I wonder?

"Renado?" Bo's eyes light up. "He's an old friend of mine! And you're right. I guess I need to think of all five of those poor kids, not just my own… They're all in danger, after all. What I should be askin' is how I can help out."

"As long as Kakariko is in trouble, the children are in trouble," Link says, his shoulder square and his back straight. I suppose his posture is always this way, but again, his tone and manner of speech are completely different! Why can't he act this way around us instead? Although I must say, he is a good actor. It doesn't make him any better a companion. "The Gorons near Kakariko have turned their backs on the villagers. We need to regain their trust."

"The Gorons of Death Mountain?" Bo takes a deep breath. "I see. Renado told you that, did he? Well, it's true. I did defeat the Gorons in a contest of strength and earned their trust…" the Mayor motions for us to lean closer as Epona stops to a trot beside us again. "With the help of a little…ah…what is this?"

"Ooccoo and Ooccoo Junior, at your service!" says Ooccoo, somehow curtseying on Epona's saddle. I sigh.

Mayor Bo blinks, his reaction towards them much like Renado's. "A…pleasure to meet you?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well!" Ooccoo smiles, and Ooccoo Junior says the same, flitting about his mother. "Now, what were we talking about?"

Mayor Bo clears his throat. "Ah, yes. I gained their trust with the help of a little secret – I can teach you, but can you promise that you absolutely, positively will _not_ disclose it to anyone?"

Link, Ooccoo, Ooccoo Junior and I exchange glances.

"Don't forget about me!" Gale says from Epona's saddlebag.

"Well?" Link asks us. "What do you guys think? Can we keep the secret?"

"Of course!" Ooccoo and I huff.

"Yep!" Gale and Ooccoo Junior agree.

Link grins, and turns to Bo with a more tempered smile. There he is, reverting back to his act. "Your secret is safe with the five of us, Mayor."

"Good. All righty, then. Absolutely no one!" he reminds, wagging a finger, and motions to his home, a wide house near another exit to the village. "Come this way, er…all five of you? Five?"

"Yes, yes, I'm counted, too!" Gale shakes about in Epona's saddlebag.

"A-ah. I see…" Bo tugs at his collar before beckoning again. As the villagers return to their houses, chattering in relief, we follow the Mayor into his own. I cannot see past the stairs near the door, but the ground floor of his house consists of a tight living room, books and a desk and chairs and some knitting materials (Ilia's, I presume), and a narrow hallway that leads further into a spacious room with only a raised circular platform inside.

"You've heard of sumo wrestlin', right?" he asks us, leading us into the spacious room. I almost shake my head when Link nods his. I choose not to answer. "Gorons like to match strength in sumo contests. Luckily for you, Link, the basics of sumo are the same as stoppin' chargin' goats!" He glances at me with uncertainty. "Which one o' you is gonna take on the Gorons anyway?"

"I will." Link and I raise our hands in unison.

The human and I turn to each other. He stares at me. I stare him down. He gives me another one of his smiles. Ugh… "_I_ shall—"

"I'll do it."

I slam my fist against the ground as I take a seat a little ways from the arena, near the wall. Ooccoo sits far across the room, so, according to her, we might see Bo's 'techniques' from all angles. Link grins at me, not even trying to hide his amusement now, before turning to Bo with a serious face. That act again.

"Haha, all righty then, Link. I'll teach you the basics of sumo," says the Mayor. His first instruction is – to my surprise – that both humans must step into the raised circular platform, the arena, but only once they strip down into their _undergarments_. Urgh! I have caught glimpses of Link without his undergarments, so why do I still feel an uneasiness flit about my stomach when he removes his clothes? I feel nothing when I see Bo in _his_ undergarments. (Not very pleasing to the eye – that I can say, however.)

In any case, the only objective of this 'sumo wrestling' is to push one's opponent outside the arena. To demonstrate, Bo assumes 'the position', grabs Link without warning, and pushes him off the arena in a flash.

The human blinks from his position on the ground and sits up. I smirk at him as we make eye contact. "Good luck."

"Thanks," he returns it with a laugh. "At this rate, I'm going to need it."

Hmph! I turn my back to both humans as they continue their lessons. Why does he always miss my sarcasm?

I feel a light weight on my shoulder and see Ooccoo Junior. "Maeva?"

"Yes, Junior?"

"Why are you facing the wall?"

I sigh, trying to ignore Link's and Bo's voices. I can't tell him it's because Link annoys me to no end. Ooccoo Junior happens to love Link as well, for the most part. "I'm only tired, I suppose."

"Oh, is it because you lack sleep, Maeva? I heard Gale complaining about that to mama this morning."

"Junior!" Gale scolds the young Oocca. I only roll my eyes. Well, it wasn't as though she wasn't expressing it enough last night.

"I suppose you could say that," I answer Ooccoo Junior's earlier question.

"So you're sleepy…" Ooccoo Junior repeats. "Is that why you've been so mean to Link?"

…This question shocks me, to be honest. Ooccoo Junior is just as perceptive as that human. But I can't tell him that Link is an insufferable nineteen year-old man; Ooccoo and Gale would never let me hear the end of it. "I…"

"All right!" Ooccoo Junior smiles. "I'll find a way so you can get your sleep and be friends with Link!" And then he returns to his mother, cheering for Link as he flies above them.

"Nice going," Gale snorts. I flick an edge of the boomerang with my finger. "Ow!"

"Before I met you," I tell her, "I was of the impression that fairies were wise beings who granted aid to those who needed them."

"Before I met you, all the boomerang's previous owners were responsible! I mean, Link is, but…" she blows a cyclone my way that destroys the texture of my hair. It takes me all my willpower not to break that boomerang in half…! It always takes me so long before I can smooth the tangles out again – my hair isn't like that _Link_'s, where he only runs his work-worn hands through his hair and everything's silky smooth again. Some people actually have to work. The fairy continues, "I guess I just take after the one I'm around the most, don't I?"

I quirk an eyebrow. "Ooccoo?"

"No! You insufferable…ugh!" Gale groans. "I'm even starting to talk like you!"

I would laugh in genuine amusement at her frustration – finally, she understands how I feel about Link – when a heavy _thud_ shakes the house and Bo cheers.

"Whoa ho! Not too shabby, lad!"

I turn to watch again. Link has bested him, has he?

It seems lessons are over. I walk towards them, Gale in hand, as Bo thumps Link on the back. The Mayor watches me somewhat warily before he chuckles. "With this boy's natural talent, I'm sure you can take on the Gorons! He's got a sight stronger in the short time he's been gone…"

Bo turns to me. "Are you doing something to Link?"

My lip curls on its own. "What? _No_." The only thing I want to do to him is—

"Strong as you are, though," Bo adds, "you can't hope to beat the Gorons' wrestlin' with power alone. Those Gorons are made of rock!"

"I was wondering about that," I say, pushing Link towards the door as he hops on one foot, trying to fit the other into a boot. "But if you've nothing more to impart…"

"Hey, hang on! Wait!" Bo grabs Link's other arm. "You've gotta defeat the Gorons, right? Well, you're not going to do it without this little secret of mine! The secret to beatin' the Gorons…is locked away in this chest. Take it with you, lad."

Link smiles at him silently and crouches before a common blue chest the Mayor pulls out, with some effort, from beneath his desk. I stand off to the side as the human slowly opens it…a pair of boots? Link glances at me, an eyebrow raised, and I unintentionally return the look before he turns to the Mayor with a clam look on his face. A great actor, indeed – until he attempts to pull the boots out with a hand, and is unable to do so.

"You can probably tell, those boots are made of iron, lad. Whoever wears 'em won't easily be pushed around, even by a Goron." Link finally raises the boots with both hands, but with obvious difficulty. "Heavy, huh? You can't ever tell _anyone_ about those boots!" the Mayor says, gesticulating outrageously as though it will prove his point. It actually does. "'Specially Renado!"

"Why not?" I ask.

"It's a man's secret, lass. A matter of pride," he says, standing tall and gazing far, far away. I don't understand men, either.

"So…" And yet I attempt to. "You gained the Gorons' trust using these Iron Boots and allowed Renado to believe that it was your own strength?"

"Wh-wha-how did you-I didn't say anything, hey!"

Link only chuckles and slips the boots into his Hero's Pockets. At least, according to Ooccoo. We recently discovered that the pouches that came with his Hero's Clothes are filled with a magic neither Midna nor I can decipher – no matter what he places inside, they don't get heavier or bulkier at all. I wish I could cast magic like that. Or efficient magic at all. "Thank you for your help, Mayor. We'll bring everyone back safely, I promise."

He beckons to me as he opens the door and leaves the house, taking Gale with him. Ooccoo and her son follow; does he think I am some mutt, obeisant to whoever feeds me? He must learn not to compare me with himself!

"Wait, lass."

I turn around with a glare that surprises him. It surprises me, too – it wasn't meant for him. I remove my frown. "Do you need something?"

"You aren't…human, are you?" asks Bo. My hands freeze, gripping my staff tightly, but there is an honesty in the Mayor's face that tells me he isn't about to stand on Hanch's ledge and declare this piece of news. I feel relief wash over me. And gratitude. I could always lie and repeat Link's story, but an emotion I can't name strikes me and suddenly I want someone, anyone besides Zelda to know what I am.

"So some humans do think," is my answer. When he blinks – perhaps shocked that I would give in to his accusation? – I add, "You know I mean you no harm."

Bo nods. "I knew it instantly when I saw you that night…your shadow was different. It…moved. Even when you were still."

He is more intelligent than I gave him credit for previously, I admit. "Most humans are too busy watching for the shadows above than the shadows of those around them."

"Link doesn't know, does he?"

I laugh. "What do you expect of a ranch hand?"

"Link is so much stronger than he seems," the Mayor says, shaking his head in disagreement with me. He is preoccupied, searching his house for something, and checks his wardrobe. "And so much wiser…Ah! Here."

Bo takes my hand and slips in…my bracelet! My greatest treasure. "The lad asked me to return this to you. If he trusts you that much, I guess I can spare you some of mine."

"Well, thank you," is all I can say, reveling in the feel of the beads against my wrist. I feel almost whole again. "Although I doubt the structure of your village. You give Link more trust than many do young men his age."

"He's different," says Bo, thoughtfully. "There must be a reason why you travel with him, right?"

I glance away. It isn't as if I do it of my own volition.

Bo seems to take this as affirmation, however, because he smiles. Before I can correct him, he says, "Now, I need to ask you a favor, non-human…"

"Maeva. I do have a name."

"Yes, Maeva. Take care of Link."

I can't help but quirk an eyebrow. "Why? He can take care of himself. You know that as well as I do, if not better."

"Link is strong, no doubt about that. But he has a certain naivete to him…swear that you'll take care of him, lass."

First he says Link is so much stronger and wiser than anyone thinks, and now he possesses a 'certain naivete'? This is absurd. But Bo stares at me expectantly, almost hopefully, so I roll my eyes only inwardly. "Very well. I will take care of Link…whenever I can. Are you satisfied?"

"Yes." Mayor Bo smiles, placing a hand on my shoulder as though I were one of his villagers asking for advice. "I hope you learn to trust in humans, too. Not all of us will shun you because of your appearance."

"I wonder about your own villagers."

"They can be taught, given the time," Bo shrugs. "I suggest you don't keep it a secret from Link for too long. You want to keep his trust, don't you?"

I blink. "I-I didn't say—"

"Go on, then, go, you don't want to be wastin' any more time, do you?" the Mayor laughs, glancing at something behind me, and then pushes me out of his house. He closes the door in my face before I can answer. How rude!

I come face-to-face with Epona's muzzle. "Oh!" I back into Bo's door. "Hello, Epona."

Epona whinnies and jerks her head to the side. Is she telling me to…? Link dismounts and extends a hand towards me. "Shall we? The others are already at home. Tomorrow, we return to Kakariko."

I open my mouth to tell him he cannot tell me what to do, but he lifts me onto Epona and I can only wonder if we truly have so much time to spend. Then again, this is a human way. Zelda herself took her time fortifying her defenses, and in the end they were not enough.

Dinner ends without much conversation. Ooccoo and Ooccoo Junior find much pleasure in examining the Iron Boots, which they claim is treasure, and Gale joins in the merriment by attempting to blow it away with the harshest winds she can muster. We spend about half an hour cleaning up the mess she causes afterwards. Link insists he can return his house to its former state on his own, but Ooccoo and Gale insist we can help. _When_ they began thinking they could offer my help without my permission, I am still uncertain. I only aid them because Ooccoo Junior asks me to – the little creature grows on me.

Somehow, Midna, Gale and Ooccoo end up on the third landing by the window. I stay with them for a while, listening to their conversation, but I cannot add to their repertoire of 'mature female experiences.' When Ooccoo starts explaining her race's mating rituals and the actual process of mating, I leap down to the ground floor and steal Ooccoo Junior away from Link. What could they have been talking about, anyway? All Link ever does is smile or laugh. I am a much better playmate than he is.

Ooccoo Junior has amazing powers of teleportation for such a small being; not that his can compare to Midna's. Three spins around me and I am whisked away to another area of the house, because he can only send me off so far. In one instance, we end up standing next to the ladder leading to Link's house, but Ooccoo Junior feels it is too cold in the evening and swiftly spins us back inside. We always return to the fireplace; I assume he likes the warmth it provides.

"Maeva, where do you want to go next, huh? Huh?" Ooccoo Junior asks eagerly, bouncing up and down my shoulder.

I turn around, searching for an area in the small house I'm certain we've already fully explored. I think of having him teleport me to Hanch's so we might frighten the man, but Ooccoo Junior's existence may prove fatal to his nerves, so I decide against it. I wouldn't be much of a hero if I inadvertently caused the death of an already cowardly man.

My eyes land on Link, sitting at the dinner table with his limitless pouch. He catches my gaze and smiles, pausing his rummaging for a moment, before returning to stuffing pillows into the unfathomable space that is the Hero's Pocket.

Ugh. Now he must think I was looking at him. I was only looking for something that might entertain me and Ooccoo Junior; he shouldn't be so presumptuous!

Ooccoo Junior tilts his body to the side, flapping his wings before me. "Maeva?"

"Oh," I shake my head. "How about—"

"HEEEEEEEEEEY! Link!"

I frown at Link as though he made the noise. Midna peers out the window and shouts from above, "Hey! A huge guy outside is climbing the ladder to your house!"

Ooccoo Junior slips under the nape of my neck. I shiver, his wings tickling, but I hear his whisper nonetheless. "Who's that, Maeva?"

"It's only Fado," Link says, rising and approaching the door. He waits for a pattern in the knocking before opening it.

The first thing I notice about Fado is that I cannot see past his mouth. _He_ comes to mind, but Fado's smile seems genuine, and so do his eyes, as Link invites him inside. The divine hero's head reaches just the tip of the door frame, but Fado must duck his head and shrug his shoulders so as to enter. Is he even human? His muscles are so thick... But not all human males close to my age look like Link, I suppose, and there is a certain charm to his long face, wide nose, and the way his eyebrows are angled, from the center slanting down to the sides of his face, so that he always looks apologetic.

The two males thump each other against their backs and laugh, Fado closing the door with a slight nudge of his foot. "You return with good news 'bout the tots and you don' even stop by the ranch?" says Fado, when they've calmed.

"Sorry," Link replies with a shrug. "I didn't want to bother you with my troubles."

"Excuses!" Fado interrupts with a bout of hearty laughter. "Come on, Link, I know you've—"

He stops when he sees me staring. I glance back to the fire immediately.

"Who's that?" he whispers to Link audibly.

"Fado, this is Maeva. We're, uh…traveling together. Maeva," Link says. I don't want to look, but Ooccoo Junior's hiding sends another shiver down my spine and I involuntarily turn. "This is Fado, my best friend in the village. Our fathers co-owned the ranch, but he handles the ranch now, mostly."

"Naw," Fado scratches the back of his head and smiles shyly. "Link does most of the wranglin', really – he's a natural! But, hah…you must already know that."

If he is trying to imply something with that impish smile on his face, I don't quite catch it. Link stomps down on his foot, turning his head at him. It must be my imagination – did I see a glare on his face before he looked at his friend? Perhaps not, because he glances back at me with a smile again, as does Fado, after erasing his own pained countenance.

"So, Maeva, what are you doin' travelin' with my bud Link?" Fado asks. I realize there is a sack slung over his shoulder, but he doesn't seem to intend to set it down. "Savin' the world or somethin'?"

"Something like that," Link mutters. "Did you need someth—"

"I met Link after he was taken by the monsters."

"Oh, yeah?" His eyes travel all over my arms, stomach, legs, but he says nothing about the markings. All the better for him. "You saved his butt, huh?"

"She did," Link says, and turns around to face his friend. "Did you need something, by the way, Fado?"

"Why? Are you busy?" Fado asks, a little smirk playing on his mouth. Do human males really find everything so amusing at this age?

"It's not often you come by," says Link, shaking his head. I can't see his features. "And we're about to rest up for our journey tomorrow. I wouldn't want Maeva tired."

"Yeah, if she sleeps well then she won't be cranky anymore!" says Ooccoo Junior, suddenly flying out from behind me.

The whole room is quiet. Fado stares.

"What is _that_."

"Can I talk to you in private?" Link sighs and grabs Fado's bulky arm, leading him outside the house. I wonder what they're talking about. I want to know.

We are left alone by the fireplace, still bound by the silence until Ooccoo flies down noisily. "Dear, it's probably best that you don't show yourself to humans. It isn't often they see our kind, and many of them are easily flustered."

"But what about Link and Maeva and Mister Renado and Mayor Bo?"

"Exceptions, my dear. I'll explain it tomorrow. Would you like to sleep already? Maeva looks tired," Ooccoo says, giving me a meaningful look. She can't make me do anything. But I know that trick; my own mother used to say that to me about Midna, who willfully acquiesced, when I didn't yet want to sleep. "Come near the window upstairs. Gale has trapped a warm draft so that Link's friend doesn't see us when he leaves."

"Go on," I say when Ooccoo Junior looks to me for approval. I think I might know that look, and a young girl who used to look upon her elders in a like manner. He shouldn't depend on me so much.

"Okay," Junior says, yawning, and flies with Ooccoo up to the third floor landing.

My own eyes fight to stay awake. Why am I fatigued? I did so much more yesterday and I could not sleep last night, but now all I can do is yawn. I'm barely aware of my surroundings as I climb the ladder, kick off my sandals and pull Link's sheets over my head. I hear angry voices drifting in from outside, but Link's scent reminds me of all my aggravation towards him and I grow ever more fatigued; the sounds are subdued by my own breathing and the heavy crackling of the fire below. I fall asleep wondering how Link's pillows can cause sleep to smell so inviting.

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><p>What did you think? Lame ending, but the action picks up in the next chapter, I promise! If you've played <em>Twilight Princess<em>, you already know why. ;D

**James Birdsong**: Thank you!

**JimmyDANj2**: Wowwww I'm so touched! Thank you! And THANK YOU for saying that about the dungeons. I cringe just thinking of writing about the entire dungeon! I played through the Goron Mines over and over again for five or so times just to remember the general feel of it. Yay character development! Hopefully some of that soon, gradually at least. Thank you for reviewing! Glad to meet a fellow Twilight Child fan :)

**whosahassa**: Actually, I know what you mean about people asking for reviews :)) But hey, that's actually a good thing! For me, at least. I like hearing rants so you're free to do that as you please, haha! And if ever there's something you like/dislike about the story, I'd like to hear it. A writer should know what to improve on, what to keep, and what to just completely delete, I think. Not to mention that reviews help bring in readers. Unfortunately, not a lot of people here read through summaries or even try the first few chapters of a story anymore, mostly just check to see how many reviews there are of a story and then judge based on that. I admit I'm guilty of that sometimes, though I try not to be, haha. Oh, dear. See, I've gone and ranted too :)) Anyway, thanks for the review! I'd certainly like to hear about what you think of Maeva's development.

**PerrierLaMer**: Glad you enjoy it, thank you! And yes, the magical hat IS vexing. Even Link will wonder about that, later, haha! Did you ever play Minish Cap? I loved Ezlo, his talking hat. Him I'd understand staying on Link's head; this I just don't. Oh well, apparel from the gods, what do you expect? :))

Again, thanks for reviewing, guys! :)

REVIEW. Some more. It'll make you sexy. ;D HAHA! See you again soon!


	4. Sealing fate

Hellooooooo! As promised, updated in two weeks. Here's where I start crying... Okay I was exaggerating. I'll only feel quite bad. At this point, I really don't know when I'll update. You see, September is finish-and-submit-all-projects-and-also-write-all-papers-and-make-presentations, while the first two weeks of October is finals week where I study.

I'll try to post a chapter in between all this, hopefully mid-September before all the projects are SERIOUSLY due, but I can't promise anything. -CHOKES ON A SOB.-

But anyway. From this chapter on, **My Way** will be written in the 3rd POV, with seldom varying perspectives. Most of the time it'll still be Maeva's.

Thanks again for the reviews, favorites and alerts, guys! Please enjoy! :)

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><p><strong>My Way<strong>

Chapter 4: Sealing fate

Maeva awoke with a start, urgency ringing her mind. She had to keep running, because stopping would mean that she wouldn't have time to warn…to warn who? Did it still matter? All around her there was only the scent of grass and firewood, and she should return to sleep. After all, the sun wasn't out yet, though there was a certain brightness lilting down on her that didn't exist in the night…

Maeva's eyelids parted. An open roof? Only one house looked this way, and the desire to sift through her memories and determine whose it was urged her to rise and throw her feet off the bed. She stood, leaning against the ladder, eyelids still gummy with sleep. The ladder. That pretend third floor that wasn't truly a third story, and from outside, a shrieking. A cucco with a human face came to mind. Far below, the pointy tip of a long, green hat swayed about beside a golden blob…. Maeva yawned and stepped off the platform, instinctively bending her knees and landing on her feet. Apparently, not so far below, the thought flickered across her mind. The golden blob was hair on a handsome head, and in her sleepy daze she stared at the man preparing food by his desk until he noticed her presence.

"Good morning, Maeva," Link greeted, his usual smile causing emotions she didn't quite understand to swirl in her stomach.

It irritated her. Yes, that was it. Irritation. Maeva rolled her eyes and stalked off to the dining table.

Link watched her stare blankly at the table, eyebrows furrowed, before returning to wrapping their food for the journey. "She seems to be in a good mood."

He felt the burden on his feet lessen, and then Midna's silhouette floated a little to his side, shaking her head. "Maeva's only a morning person when she's being attacked. You forgot already? Sheesh. Don't you remember the day before yesterday?"

Link only chuckled. Before Epona found him again and they were forced to trek to Kakariko, Maeva was the last to wake and glared at just about everyone, save for Ooccoo Junior whom she regarded with an indifferent grunt. It wasn't until an hour after the journey when she snapped out of it and returned to glaring only at him, saving most of her eyerolls for Ooccoo and Gale.

Maeva stared at the table in deep thought, scratching at a few dents absentmindedly. She still didn't remember what she'd been dreaming about, which only furthered her morning grumpiness. A distraction. A distraction would be nice, and she found it briefly in her pouch. The flower the female monkey had given her was still as fresh and fragrant as the day she received it! Maeva wondered how that could be so, and also thought she would like to visit that monkey again, one of the very few beings in the light realm who was a friend to her, but she could think of no reason why the flower remained unwilting, and her attention quickly routed itself to the Hero's Pocket lying open on the table. Maeva grabbed it and sifted through that instead. A fishing pole, empty potion bottles, the slingshot, pillows (fragrant), and a bow and quiver. The last two seemed interesting and were withdrawn.

"Where did you get these?" she asked aloud, her voice still pooled with sleep.

"They're from Jaggle – Malo and Talo's father," Link replied without looking at her. "But…you probably don't know them by name."

"I _do_," Maeva snapped, narrowing her eyes at the back of his head. "Do you think me so ignorant?"

Link pretended not to hear it. "And Fado delivered them last night. It was actually why he came by."

"Oh," said Maeva. Yes, that even taller, muscled young man. She was desperately curious about what they might have spoken about now that she remembered, but Link might think she cared. So she controlled the urge to ask and focused instead on tracing the bow's smooth curve and strumming at its taut string.

"Do you know how to use that?"

Maeva glanced up at the question. A smile from him? Well, a frown from her. "Of course I do!" And not in the way she knew how to mount a horse. She snatched an arrow from the quiver and drew it against the bow, aiming for the top of his door frame. When she released, the arrow hit its mark precisely.

"Not bad," Link said, grinning.

Not bad? Maeva huffed inwardly. That was perfect! But she didn't feel like raising her hoarse morning voice any more than she already had and only crossed her arms after setting the weapons down. "If you have a natural talent for wrangling, I am naturally skilled at bows and arrows."

Link nodded. "Too bad we don't have many arrows, though."

Maeva quirked an eyebrow. "Can't you craft any more?"

"I was never taught how to fletch," he shrugged, taking the wrapped food and approaching the dining table. He said nothing of the items laid out on it and carefully placed them all inside the Pocket again.

Maeva inwardly grinned. Something he didn't know how to do. But the memory of her games as a child that bobbed up in her mind reminded her that the bow and arrows she played then were made of the shadows of twilight, of magic. She hadn't ever needed to 'fletch' anything. How disappointing, but it still wasn't something he or his adoring public could lord over her, and that suited her just as well.

Maeva didn't like it when Link stood too close to her. She could always feel that smile of his and his eyes, and she didn't like having to wonder if he was looking at her and what he might be thinking if he were. It was foolish, so she left him by the dining table to fix his things (as he should) and left the house.

Ooccoo, Ooccoo Junior and Gale were outside, enjoying the breeze before the sun rose and hiding in the tall grass. (Tall compared to them, Maeva thought with a slight laugh.) Epona sat closely beside them, staring at them curiously, and whinnying with a shake of her head every so often as though she had given up on discovering what they might truly be. Maeva jumped down the ladder. Unfortunately, her ability to land on her feet seemed to wane the longer she was awake, and she rolled on the ground as soon as she made contact with it. She lay sprawled on her back moments later, a noisy shrieking beside her ear causing her to roll her eyes.

"I was not sleep-walking, Ooccoo," she groaned after another minute of worried nagging.

"Oh." Ooccoo fell silent. "You'll excuse me. I thought only a sleep-walking girl could fall so ungracefully from that platform."

Gale laughed.

Maeva narrowed her eyes in the direction of the fairy's giggle, but could really see nothing past the tall grass, only the sudden shadow that loomed over her. Epona had moved beside her, and then sat down to nudge her nose against her shoulder. Sitting up and moving some paces away didn't work – Epona only followed and continued to nudge.

"What do you want?" Maeva asked with a frown. She didn't want to react negatively to her – the mare could kick her off and break her back at any moment, after all, and she had appreciated Epona's warm meeting the day previous, but this nudging was not endearing.

"She must be hungry!" said Ooccoo Junior from nowhere, as he often did. He dropped a carrot in her hand. Maeva was still confused about how he carried anything around, much less her staff in the Forest Temple, but he returned to his mother before she remembered to ask.

Epona stared at the carrot intently, so Maeva figured Ooccoo Junior was right. (She trusted Ooccoo Junior. He'd reacted warmly to her, too, upon their first meeting, when he returned her staff.) The carrot was chewed up and swallowed in a matter of seconds. The mare must have enjoyed it, because she whinnied happily and nuzzled her head against Maeva afterwards.

Maeva liked her gratitude; not so much her attention. She didn't particularly like sitting with animals that could gobble her up at any moment if they so tried, and she couldn't exactly get up on Epona's saddle to avoid her head – the mare rose and sat whenever she did – so she chose another option.

"Link!" she shouted, climbing the ladder to his home where Epona couldn't follow. She opened the door just in time to have him stare down at her.

"Yes?" he asked, smiling and adjusting the pouch behind him.

Maeva rolled her eyes.

They rode for Kakariko at the same pace as the day previous, though Maeva couldn't really tell. There was no sun; the sky was cloudy and getting much darker. As was their ritual for the past few days, they stopped by a familiar shade of trees in the field surrounded by grass and lavenders to eat lunch a little later than usual. This patch was much closer to Kakariko than it was to Ordon, not that Maeva knew if they had really made good time or not.

"We should eat here every day!" Ooccoo Junior exclaimed when they were finished, allowing Epona to rest before they set out again. "This is the best adventure ever."

"What makes you say that?" Link asked, packing their things once more. He didn't want to be the one to tell Junior they couldn't possibly eat here every day if they were to find those Fused Shadows Midna and Maeva wanted so badly, and he figured now wouldn't be the best time to say so, anyway.

"Because!" Ooccoo Junior replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm with you and mama and Gale and Maeva and Epona, too! We're like a family."

"We are a family, dear," said Ooccoo, nuzzling her head against her son's.

"What?" Maeva cut in.

Gale sent a hushing wind her way. The girl glared at the boomerang, but focused on fixing her hair again, giving the fairy a chance to speak. "Your mother is right, Junior. We've only spent a few days together, but I already know we're going to be great friends!"

"That's what it means to go on an adventure, right, Maeva? Enjoying time with your friends?" Ooccoo Junior asked, sitting on Maeva's shoulder.

Again, everyone's attention was on Maeva. She didn't like it. Going on an adventure meant saving the world, becoming an adulated hero! But Ooccoo Junior wasn't yet wise to the ways of the world, and she would never hear the end of it from Ooccoo and Gale if she said that. Dropping her hands from her head, she answered, staring mostly at Epona (who seemed the only one not as determined to get an answer from her), "I – I suppose."

"How idealistic!" Midna giggled, rising from Link's shadow. "I didn't know you felt that way, Maeva."

Maeva and Midna stared at each other for a moment, the former opening her mouth to think of a reply, but she didn't know what the latter wanted to hear. Frankly, she was getting tired of the shame, though she knew she had no right to even that. Luckily, Ooccoo Junior was already distracted and flew to the tree behind Link. "I knew it! I'm going to carve all our initials here on this tree and then this'll be _our _tree, forever!"

"You – you know how to read Hylian, Ooccoo Junior?"

"Of course!" his mother replied for him. "What sort of mother would I be if I didn't teach my child how to read the language of this land?"

"I don't _know_," Maeva snapped, glancing away.

"Oh, what's this?" Junior bumped into Link's head. Link turned away from the conversation and followed Ooccoo Junior's gaze down to a shining, scuttling bug on the ground. Lowering a finger near it, he allowed it to climb into his hand and presented it to the boy.

"Wow," said the young man. "A shining bug. I've never seen anything like this before."

"It's so shiny!" exclaimed the little boy. "It's a treasure, I just know it! Can we keep it, Link?"

Link grinned. "I don't see why not."

Maeva thought it was interesting to see an insect that shone like gold, but thought bitterly that of course it was found by a boy whose hair was like gold, too. She was about to roll her eyes at Link telling Ooccoo where exactly in his pouch he would keep the shining bug when the divine hero paused.

His eyebrows furrowed. Maeva took interest in his face especially when he didn't smile – it was rare. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Link didn't have to answer. It was far away, but there was a thunderous galloping in the distance that Maeva was too familiar with for it not to ring a bell in her mind. She joined the others, hiding behind a tree at the end of the thicket. Green and black spots formed a dust cloud not too far ahead, growing in size as they drew closer. The earth trembled under the continuous barrage of bullbo hooves. The others fell into a discussion as to what it might be, but Ooccoo was heavily opposed to sending her son to teleport to near peoples unknown. Maeva cringed at her voice, but silently agreed. They would only trample the boy.

Now, why did she know that?

"King Bulblin!" Maeva gasped. She saw the large, round, green creature from afar – she didn't need to see him up close to know his horns that curved inward before they curved outward, and that sinister grin on his mouth that made her shudder. The red of Lord Bullbo's eyes were just as nasty as his rider's. When she first saw the pig, she thought that even beasts might possess the capacity for evil.

King Bulblin turned just before they reached their shade of trees. Maeva whirled to the right, expecting to find Link as flabbergasted as she, but he was already on Epona, Ooccoo and Junior on his head, waiting to pull her up on his mare.

"They're going to Kakariko!" she exclaimed when her arms were wrapped around his waist.

"I know," was all he said before urging Epona to hasten her gallop. Maeva frowned but prudently chose to say nothing.

If the bulbins noticed Epona behind them, they didn't seem to find it a problem. They were always one gallop ahead, too far for Gale's reach, and they rode past the field, into the narrow road between the hills that paved the way toward the mountain ridge that was home to Kakariko.

Midna might have called it poetic, Maeva thought, how they arrived just a little too late, and how the sky grew even gloomier despite the time, almost as though it was growing closer to night. Link had been quiet all the way, save for his determined grunts as he dug his heels into Epona's side in an attempt to catch even the last of the bulblins riding. Some had stayed behind – it seemed King Bulblin_ had_ noticed them – but Link slew them quickly, leaning to the side and bending down just a little to slice their heads clean off. Maeva had never seen him so fierce.

When they finally arrived, Link didn't stop. King Bulblin was waiting for them, raising an unconscious blond boy, Colin, in the air with a chuckle before rallying his riders forward. Maeva could have sworn she saw his eyes flash in recognition at her, but she was distracted by the screams of the villagers below them. Barnes shook in his boots beside Beth and Talo, who watched on and shouted for Link to save Colin, their voices uneven with fear. Even Luda, whom Maeva had seen as the calmer one of the two girls currently in the village, was sobbing, holding her father tight as he urged them on worriedly.

But Link seemed to hear none of them, or if he did, he gave no reassuring smiles or nods, slowing only to deposit Ooccoo, Junior, and Gale with Renado, and then they sped straight out of the ridges of Kakariko and into another portion of Hyrule Field. The twilight surrounding Hyrule Castle taunted orange and dull green in the distance, but that was hardly the issue. The bulblins that remained near the exit of the Kakariko ridge prepared a trap for them, a barred fence of spikes. Link gave a huff, almost an arrogant snort, if Maeva knew arrogant snorts, and gave a _hyah!_ which was enough for Epona to know to leap high over the fence.

Link spoke before Maeva could let out a shocked breath. "What can you tell me about this King Bulblin?" he asked, almost demanded.

Maeva would have bristled at his tone, had the suddenly gruff, serious turn his voice had taken not struck her so. "He – he's often at the head of raids," she replied, attempting to remove all inflection from her voice as Link had. She was still reeling from his change, more than she had been when she first heard his wolf song. "Before a village is submerged in the twilight, he has his men pillage the place."

Lightning and thunder preceded Link's next demand. "Is he here to take Eldin's light again?"

"He isn't the leader of the shadow beast hordes, if that – is what you mean to ask," Maeva replied. Link said nothing, but she felt his impatience and continued, "Only a general of the bulblin army. If there are no shadow beasts with him, this…this might be a personal vendetta. I can't think of why he would return for Kakariko."

"He took the children before. He was the one who dragged me into the twilight," Link said without hesitation. His tone was steadily harsh. "Shouldn't Ilia be with them now?"

"This is only a…hunting party, of sorts. His entire army is much greater!" Maeva couldn't help but exclaim. "But Bulblin always keeps his prisoners close. Either your friend escaped, or…"

With her arms around his waist, Maeva felt the hero tense, but he gave no reply and only continued to follow the dust cloud. As their eyes traced low-lying ruins of what may have been a castle, a heavy shower replaced the thundering of the savages' bullbo hooves against the ground, filling the weak foundations of the ancient structure with water to form murky ponds. It stomped out the dust cloud, at least, but now covered everything in a light fog. Link could only identify the others moving around the field, spread out – no doubt a ploy to lead them astray – by the white halos around their figures formed where the fat raindrops plodded against them nonstop.

"Bulblin is turning around!" Maeva yelled over the rain. "He's coming towards us!"

Link nodded in acknowledgment, at least, but went straight for him. They were almost there – poor Colin was tied to the pole where King Bulblin raised the banner – almost about to strike the monster that took his friends, but he was right. Almost. The hunting party of bulblins that had dissipated weren't there to only lead them astray; they were there to attack them, try to knock them off Epona. King Bulblin pulled a long, curved horn much like the one on his head from his beast's saddlebag and blew, calling the lesser bulblins on their bullbo to flank the humans.

Maeva needed no previous knowledge of beasts to understand that Epona was tired. She was no longer neighing in determination, and her breaths were easy to hear even with the wind howling in the storm. When the bulblins surrounded them with their burning arrows, Epona did her best and attempted to stomp them out, but the fire was hostile, she knew, and when they hit anywhere above her hooves, she cried out in pain. It was a heartbreaking sound, and Maeva was grateful for the rain that instantly snuffed out the flames. This affected their chances of gaining ground more than Epona could understand through the searing of her flesh, however – with each cry, the mare would turn in another direction, allowing King Bulblin to gain more distance from them.

It felt like they had been riding for hours already, and Maeva was drenched with rain and cold sweat. What was it? Worry? But Link's voice was a welcome distraction.

"Maeva!" he shouted, still in that tone of voice. It wasn't so welcome anymore, that way of speaking so different from his usual cheeriness. It wasn't the same one he used on adults, either. "The bow and arrow! Shoot the bulblins before they hurt Epona!"

He was confusing, but Maeva followed his orders nonetheless, for the sake of that blond boy who was foolish enough to get himself captured. It wasn't difficult to focus in the rain, but aiming an arrow at a moving target while moving, yourself was an entirely different ordeal. Maeva fired eight arrows, one for each of the lesser bulblins on the four bullbo chasing them, but each one missed. She bounced too much and she couldn't steady her elbow. At the very least, it had gotten the bulblin to concentrate on dodging the arrows instead of firing for a while.

Link noticed as well, but this wasn't an excuse. "If the bulblins can stun Epona, you can stun their bullbo," he shouted, his voice deep, hoarse from his demanding tone. Clearly, it was something foreign to him. "Don't waste any more arrows!"

"I'm trying my best!" Maeva couldn't help but yell back. "Be quiet and ride properly!"

Given the new role he'd suddenly taken as the one giving orders between them, Maeva felt rather rebellious telling him that, but erased it from her mind when he said nothing in reply. Failure to do one's duty was punishable by death. Link was right, however, not that she would ever acknowledge it – if those measly bulblins could miss her only by a hairline, she should be able to harm them! Of course, bullbo were naturally larger and slower and the bulblins' aim would be steadier, but she could use this to her advantage.

No more wasting arrows. Maeva couldn't make any perfect shots so precise and sharp that their heads might be fall right off, but she did manage to memorize the angle in which she could hit the riders on their thighs while everyone moved, and with them fussing over the pain, no one was steering the pigs right and _they_ led themselves astray. One, she saw to her delight, even fell off the cliff.

Again, Link said nothing if he noticed. Ingratitude at its finest, Maeva thought amidst her self-congratulatory state, but she, too, soon focused on King Bulblin. Without his minions to distract her, Epona was able to race towards the same pig-monster that took her away from her master. Link had been so close to the general so many times that he already worked out, in his mind, the kinks of his flakey armor. He must not have been used to wearing any – in fact, it didn't look like the armor was outfitted for him. Only the helmet fit his round head, but everything else was too small; so small that when Link had come close enough, he'd seen that Bulblin cut the armor into pieces and tied them around himself with rope, more like arm guards than actual armor.

When Link finally caught up with King Bulblin, he cut his sword against a piece of armor that stuck out and knocked him on the head with the side of his sword. He would have decapitated the monster, but Epona's gait lagged just before he could.

In any case, it knocked out the general and sent his armor falling to pieces all around them. Lord Bullbo, however, was tougher, and rode through the remaining ruins into the Eldin bridge, a stone bridge that led into another narrow path through even higher, rockier hills skirting Hyrule. Far below into the darkness, a river rushed unheard.

The rain let up, and Maeva finally knew what time it was – late afternoon. The clouds parted to reveal a sun descending closer to dusk, to twilight. Epona gave another cry. It wasn't out of fatigue, because the mare was too proud for that – behind them, remaining bulblins had set a fence to block their path and lit it on fire, making return near impossible. On the other end of the bridge, the bulblins behind their King, now awake, fired a spiked fence into flames as well.

"What do we do?" she asked, not necessarily Link. If anything she could no longer see him, thinking only of how much she hated the uncertainty of not being able to leap, especially given how she had lost control over stronger shadow magic that might save them from bone-crushing death in case they fell. If Midna was with them, she was quiet.

Link clenched his left fist around his sword's hilt. "Maeva," he said, sitting back and turning his head halfway to speak to her. "When I tell you to duck, you'll duck, all right?"

_Maeva was accustomed to falling out of the portal with none of the grace she once possessed. The human body was still frail. He'd said that it would turn to the shadows soon, keeping the fleshy, pink form she so desired but repossessing her ability to wield the shadow magic he taught them, to jump as far as she was once able. But now she was still weak, and he'd called for her from this barren, dry land, patches of grass growing only few and far between._

_There were green monsters everywhere. She had been green, too, even black and white, but these were just hideous. Maeva didn't want to judge according to appearances as the humans had before he gave her this form, but they even acted like savages. Smoke from bonfires around every portion of the camp, roasting dead animals that didn't smell very palatable at all. They were from this realm, she knew, because their shadows were still even in the flickering firelight. The green monsters stared at her as they entered, some brandishing their small swords and sneering, but he cut her a clear path with shadows and she followed it to his tent, trying not to see the large boar that snorted at her outside._

_There was a man inside – or, no, she decided as she got a closer look. He was a kinsman to the monsters outside, only taller, rounder, larger. Seemingly much more capable of thought. He didn't see her yet, but she could see him. _

_"Zant," she said with a sisterly fondness she would never again apply to her older friend. "You wanted to see me?"_

_"Yes," he said, his white mouth turning up for a smile. She had to rely on that these days – she could no longer read his eyes. Maybe it was only the light, but… "Maeva. I want you to meet a good friend of mine – King Bulblin, lord of the bulblins. You must have seen his trusted steed outside – Lord Bullbo, king of the bullbo."_

_"Heh, heh," she giggled, smiling impishly. King and lord, Lord and king. But Zant didn't return her smile, so she cleared her throat, removed her mirth and turned to King Bulblin. "It's…an honor…to meet you."_

_She couldn't have said it any more hesitantly. As soon as she'd caught the gaze of his beady, red eyes, her smile fell. His own was sinister, as though one of his men had found something good to eat for dinner and he was ready to gobble it all up. King Bulblin smirked in reply and only inclined his head. As though he was ready to gobble _her _all up. _

Maeva felt something close tightly around her right hand. It was Link's fist. "Maeva, do you understand?" he repeated.

"Yes," she said hastily. "Yes, I'll duck."

Bublin charged. Maeva briefly considered screaming for her life, but the thought that this new Link might scold her came to mind and she decided against it. Link followed the monster's example, having Epona gallop as fast as she could. Maeva saw Colin tied close to the bulblin banner – she wasn't surprised. He did that to survivors often. Her eyes trailed the pole down to Bulblin and his beady eyes, focused determinedly on Link. She would feel better that even their enemies preferred Link over her, but King Bulblin was a monster whose eyes she never wanted on her again.

"Duck!" Link yelled. Maeva pulled close with her eyes shut tight, caring little if she knocked the wind out of him in her tight embrace, and obeyed. Bulblin swung his flail at them. Link didn't attempt anything with his sword, ducking, too, until they exchanged ends of the bridge, something he appeared to regret.

"Next time, to the right and faster, no hesitation," he muttered repeatedly.

"What?" asked Maeva. But Link only charged forward again, letting out a fierce war cry that woke her enough to make her watch attentively in anticipation.

Link was slashing his sword in the air even before they came close. When they did, he made a feint to the left before swerving Epona to the right, swinging long before Bulblin could brace himself, and managed to elicit an angry roar from the bulblin lord – he'd managed to slice one of his horns off, so that it only curved inward, not even halfway.

Amazing, Maeva would have breathed, but held in her excitement and prayed that they wouldn't fall to their doom yet. Link rode until the edge of the bridge before turning Epona around.

Maeva hoped he wouldn't try the technique a second time. It was an intelligent feint, but Bulblin was a swift learner and was never fooled twice.

They rode again. This time, Link feinted to the right – or he might have, but Maeva would never know, because Bulblin hurled his flail with all his might before Link could swerve. Link nearly crushed Maeva's hand, pulling her arm against his chest as he reeled from the clang of his sword against Bulblin's heavy weapon and ignoring Epona's worried whinny.

King Bulblin was not a creature of calculation, or if he had been all those months ago, he'd lost his edge to battles won too easily. His swing was uncontrolled – simply a flail of his arm, literally, so as soon as Link moved Epona forward, sliding his sword out from under Bulblin's flail, he stabbed him in the shoulder and kicked the pig lord into the unseen river below.

Maeva gasped, nearly screamed, and reached out for the Bulblin banner that held the boy – to her surprise, tendrils like fingers shot out from the shadows dancing on her palm and clasped the pole, before withdrawing slowly, weakening at her awareness of them, and placing the long shaft in her hand.

Her head spun towards Link, but he didn't notice, too busy thrusting his sword threateningly at Lord Bullbo, who snarled but backed away to jump over the fences doused by the now fleeing bulblins. The right side of her body was still pressed against his back, so she felt his squared shoulders slump as he sighed in relief. When Maeva realized this, she pulled away instantly, forcing his fingers to release hers. This seemed to jolt Link awake to the new issue at hand.

"Colin!" he gasped, turning to where he stabbed Bulblin, but saw nothing. He did feel a shadow looming over him, however, and glanced up to see the unconscious boy still tied up. He followed the banner down to Maeva's eyes and smiled.

Maeva sat back, still flexing her now free hand and shaking the blood back into it. It felt warm from Link's touch, yet cold from the lack of proper circulation. And they were still drenched. No doubt Colin would catch cold – and Link was steering Epona back to Kakariko village, glancing back at her every so often to smile. It was his natural smile, the one he used to turn odd fairies inside boomerangs and oocca into adoring fans, but Maeva doubted. People could wonder, the more polite ones in the back of their minds, what she was, but after what she'd just witnessed that afternoon, she couldn't help but wonder was who Link truly was.

Maeva couldn't possibly describe the joy of the humans as they returned, an untied Colin safe in Link's arms. He brought the boy near Eldin spring, perhaps with the idea that the light might share its power and nurse him. Beth cried, Luda thanked them profusely, Renado thanked the gods, Barnes clapped his hands tearfully, and Malo and Talo watched on in amazement. They surrounded Link, kneeling before the spring, Colin's neck against his forearm. She stood behind them, holding Epona's reins. The steed's eyes were closed; the poor thing was clearly fatigued. She would lead the mare somewhere she might rest, but Maeva wanted to see Colin awaken. The boy shouldn't matter to her – she had never even spoken to him – but he did, so she stayed on even as she felt that she was trespassing just seeing them happy.

The humans gasped. Colin must have stirred. Epona followed her a little to the left, so she might see his tired eyes. Talo had explained everything when they returned – Bulblin came, and Colin saved a frozen Beth. The boy was not so much a fool as she thought as he was a hero.

"Link…" Colin whispered weakly. "Is everyone…okay?"

Maeva blinked. Was that really his first thought? But then – perhaps he felt it his duty to protect his friends, as it had been her duty to protect the princess, even at the cost of the lives of all others she loved.

"…Good," said Colin after a few moments. The relief was obvious in his voice. He was so selfless. She hadn't taken up the duty until she was far older than him. "Beth…I'm sorry. You know…for shoving you. Are you mad?"

"Of course I'm not mad, silly!" Beth answered immediately, her eyes brimming with tears as she shook her head vigorously.

Colin only smiled, turning his head to face Link. "Link…you saved me, didn't you?"

A smile tugged at the corners of the hero's mouth. "And—"

"And Maeva, too," Colin added ahead of him.

The humans glanced at her. Her eyes shifted left and right, even at Epona and the cucco clucking near the Inn, but their eyes were on her. Colin had referred to her. Malo stared the hardest, it seemed, jerking his head towards them. Was he telling her to—?

Maeva nodded slowly, approaching them with Epona.

"Thank you," said Colin.

"You…are welcome," Maeva replied almost hesitantly.

Colin nodded, his eyes flying to Link again. "I think I finally understand. I understand what my dad meant when he told me I needed to be stronger like you, Link." The boy raised an open fist into the air and clenched it, but he was still tired, and he dropped his arm. His fever would start soon. "He wasn't talking about strength, like lifting stuff. He was talking about being brave. You…You can do anything, Link."

"Yeah!" Talo cheered in agreement.

"You…you and Maeva can do something to help the Gorons in the mine too, can't you?" Colin continued.

Link raised his head to her. She was tempted to take a step back, but she gripped Epona's reins and nodded without a thought. What else could one answer to such a courageous little boy? The hero relayed their affirmation and then Colin closed his eyes. Beth gave a half-scream, shuffling towards him, but Talo shoved her aside and attempted to wrap Colin's arms around his shoulder in a piggyback. Maeva understood the need to redeem one's self, fruitless though the attempt may be. But Renado gently removed Colin from Talo and scooped him up, nodding gratefully at Link and Maeva before returning to his hut, the rest of the children chasing him like lost lambs. Talo looked back, waiting for them to follow, but Maeva was already heading back for the Inn.

Epona was slow, her legs about to give way, so Link caught up with them easily. "Maeva."

"_What_."

Link laughed. "I…guess I deserve that, huh? Listen, Maeva – I know I shouldn't have acted the way I did—"

"You shouldn't have," Maeva snapped. Now that the divine hero was back to his old self, she could glare at him properly for the offenses he had caused her during that brief fluctuation in his character. But there was something in his eyes that she still didn't understand, something intense she couldn't hold her own against. She glared instead at the cucco passing by. "However. I…know the urgency you must have felt."

Maeva tried to look at Link once more and noticed that the intensity had dulled down. He was smiling again.

"Still," she corrected herself, "you had no right to speak to me that way."

Link walked ahead of her, towards the inn and opened the door. With an impish grin dancing on his face, he asked, "So am I forgiven?"

Maeva only rolled her eyes, leading Epona inside to sleep for the rest of the day.

Link shook his head, his grin unfading, and followed.

…

Maeva pounded a hammer into a nail perfunctorily. This was her…twelfth? Twenty-third? She'd lost count. It was an easy task, and exercise enough for her arms, given that the hammer Barnes had given her was heavier than what Malo seemed used to. But then he was a child, and she expected that all hammers were too wieldy for him.

Link was helping Barnes with – something. She wasn't sure. Boarding up the houses he'd broken into as a wolf, she surmised, if Midna's laughter in the Inn as he explained why we wouldn't climb Death Mountain tonight was any indication. Maeva had wanted to sit with Epona near Eldin spring, because the ancient stones surrounded by the flowing water gave her comfort all of a sudden, a certain lightness, and the scent of clean earth washed away Epona's beastly stink as well as her own. Talo had caught her, however, before she could reach the springs, and was grumbling something about Malo not even visiting Renado's hut to wish Colin well.

"Can you talk some sense into that kid? He might listen to you," Talo had said about his brother. Maeva thought it odd that he would drag her into human affairs this way, but wasn't this what Link did? Solve petty arguments and then move onto bigger problems such as saving the realm? If he could do it, she could, too.

So she entered the General Store that was now covered in posters with Malo's face printed on them. How the boy managed that, she would never know. It made her feel rather inadequate, knowing that children were starting to take responsibility earlier on in their lives, like Ooccoo Junior and Malo and Colin. When she was their age, all she remembered was basking in the attention of her older friends and seeking their approval, which she had foolishly come to identify with her own competence as a potential ruler.

Malo had been setting up shop. The shelves were newly restocked, but everything was out of place and needed cleaning up. She curiously watched the child move about, his oversized jerkin trailing behind him as he shuffled everywhere.

The child seemed to ignore her. So much for listening to her, she thought to his older brother somewhat apologetically, when Malo appeared on the counter before her with his arms crossed. "Are you going to stand around there doing nothing all night?"

She'd blinked, clearly surprised at his invasion of her personal space, but she didn't appreciate being talked down to by a little boy, and quirked an eyebrow at him. "What will you do if I say yes?"

They'd stared at each other for at least a minute already, Maeva was sure, when Malo shrugged. "I don't know, but you might as well do something, right?"

The boy had a point, and so he set her to hammering things around the place, moving furniture around the shop as he pleased. She assumed Link was doing the same somewhere else in the village. Now she was finished, and was resting on the counter, her head back against the wall. Young though he was, Malo was certainly intelligent. Yellow lighting instead of stark white, he said, would calm customers and ease any pressures they might have about buying something. That way, he could better persuade or coax them into many purchases without them feeling forced.

He was right. She felt calm, and she allowed her eyes to close. Maeva was thinking about how lucky she was that she didn't catch cold this time even after being caught in the rain. (Link's case needn't be mentioned, she thought, presuming he had never gotten ill before, being that _perfect_ creature that he was.)

"Sorry, but your markings are just so _weird_."

Maeva's eyes snapped open. Malo was staring at the symbols on her body.

She frowned. "Then I suppose I shouldn't hesitate to tell you that a baby _talking_ has unnerved me since we found you."

Malo snorted. "Touché."

The baby continued to watch her. She glared. That was often effective, but not on this child. Maeva had the growing feeling that he was an old creature trapped in a child's body. Malo only narrowed his eyes further.

"You're not very friendly, are you?" asked the boy, easing his expression after a while.

That came as a surprise. "It is difficult to form friendships with people who scream at the sight of my markings. Beth's father was especially eager to attack me."

Malo chuckled as though that was natural. Perhaps it was. And then he shook his head. "That's no excuse. Link makes friends with everybody. If you really wanted to, you could, too."

"_No_," Maeva scoffed. "You all love Link because he's perfect. We are worlds apart."

Malo quirked an eyebrow. "Perfect? _Really_?"

Maeva didn't like his expression. She couldn't understand it. "Tell me, why do you possess such concern for me?"

"I don't," said Malo, laughing at her assumption. "But I see a similarity between you and me. You want to get things done immediately, I don't really care for the opinions of others. We feel the same."

Maeva wondered how she should feel about a little boy comparing her to himself – and remembered that she compared herself to his older brother earlier, but Malo was still talking.

"I was also wondering what someone like you was doing with someone like Link."

Maeva snarled immediately. "Are you implying that Link is better than me?"

"Not exactly," Malo replied quickly, as if he knew he'd avoided heavy fire. But even then he was calm. "But you're a girl with mysterious markings and some weird staff and Link's a ranch hand."

"That's right," said Maeva, understanding his point. "But now Link is a hero and I…am in his shadow."

It was Malo's turn to blink. "That's what's important to you?"

Maeva paused, considering her answer. The way he spoke, the way this child was with his sharp speech and freely spoken opinions, made her want to reply with whatever he wanted to hear. He reminded her of Midna. If he compared her to himself, was this how people felt about her, too? She thought about Gale, and Ooccoo, and Link. Not so.

"You want to help people and fix whatever weird things are happening lately, right?"

Maeva wondered where he was taking her. "Of course."

"Then it doesn't matter how you do it as long as you do it. Like I said, Maeva," he said, because they were on a name basis all of a sudden, "I don't really think much of what other people think of me as long as I get the job _done_."

Maeva nodded. Such a charismatic little baby. "You are wise beyond your years, Malo." He gave a knowing smile, and she paused. "You might tell Talo what you're up to, however."

Malo shrugged, motioning for her to help him lift shields onto the shelves. "He's my brother. He'll understand someday."

The door creaked open. "Malo, are you in here? Talo asked me to…wow." Link strolled in and stopped only at the sight of the languid lighting and the clean general store. He'd come in here as a wolf and it was in tatters. "Nice work."

"Maeva did most of it," Malo shrugged, holding out his upper limbs. "Short arms. Couldn't move much by m'self."

"Maeva," Link said, his eyes catching her near the wall for the first time. "I didn't see you there."

Maeva crossed her arms. "_I_ did."

"Hah, sorry. I thought you were with Junior and the girls."

Malo watched their exchange with mild interest. The way they talked, it was like they…not that he cared. "Link, are you going to buy something? Maeva was just putting the finishing touches on the place. If there's nothing else…"

"Oh, right. Talo says it's dinner time. Maeva, Junior came to me about that, too," he said, before flashing Malo another smile and departing.

"Guess we should eat first. Actually, I think the shop's perfect as it is already," said Malo, climbing the counter and hopping over to the door.

Maeva was still gaping at the boy. He wasn't an adoring fan! This was a miracle! "You…you told him to leave."

"I…did," said Malo, wondering why it was such a special moment. "Don't get me wrong – I like Link. He's a real hero. But I don't want anyone clogging up the shop if they're not helping out or buying anything. Anyway, dinner time."

Maeva's throat trapped a giggle just before it escaped. It was tempting to pick up the baby and embrace him, but she only beamed and followed him out the door.

…

Maeva fell asleep immediately after dinner, despite Gale's ramblings about how doing so was unhealthy and Ooccoo Junior's claims about having found more shiny bugs. She closed her eyes next to her pouch, her fingers on the white flower that still lived, to her sleepy wonder, and slept dreamlessly until the next morning. It was much brighter, much hotter and left much more room for frustration as they made their way up Death Mountain. Link was practicing walking with the Iron Boots. She found them infuriating. They clanged and echoed like pots and pans in a spacious container and since Maeva walked beside him, she could feel every stomp of every step beneath her feet. If they had any chance of surprising the Gorons with their arrival, those Iron Boots squashed it like the few spiders it had actually crushed during their hike upward. Maeva was still looking for rocks where she might wipe off the green blood that had splattered against her sandals and legs.

"Stay here while I wrestle the first one," Link said to her when they reached the first set of grilles. She acquiesced only because if they climbed together and were thrown off at the same time, there would be no one to catch her. Not that she had any intention of catching Link, especially with those Iron Boots that would sooner grind her spine.

The only indication of the trouble the boots gave Link as he climbed the grilles were his grunts, and Maeva didn't care much for them except that they made her feel odd, irritated, probably, so she tried her best to ignore him until he reached the top. And then the Goron cried out again – she could hear the earth above shake as he curled into his spherical form and somersaulted towards Link, but no green-clad hero fell on his back. Only another grunt, and then the Goron's yellow and ecru body flew off the cliff and rolled down the mountain like a natural boulder.

"Rorrhhhohhhhh!" the Goron wailed. It was almost laughable.

Link crouched down near the grilles and waved at Maeva. "We're through!" he grinned. Maeva thought he must be so proud of himself. "Come on!"

The mountain was extremely hot and, to quote Gale_, just downright chaotic_. Hot volcanic rocks rained down from above, throwing everyone off with their hurtling through the air and crashing somewhere nearby almost every minute. Fumaroles littered the area almost as much as rocks and spewed out hot air that seared to the touch. Maeva had seen them in the twilight, but without the darkness, they seemed to hurt more now, and _smell_, too. At one point, she thought the gases from the fumaroles were the beginning of another miasma.

Past the fumarole fields were natural stone steps that were almost as tall as she was. Ooccoo, Gale and Junior climbed them easily, but Link couldn't carry himself with only his arms as support wearing the Iron Boots. So Maeva lifted herself first, Link removed his boots, stuffed them in his pouch, followed the others, and wore the boots again.

"Stop that," Maeva hissed after the third step. There were about four more ahead. "Climb all the steps before you wear them again!"

"A Goron might appear any moment now," Link reasoned.

"Then I would be crushed before you and this would all be for naught," Maeva sighed, and continued climbing. But of course Link was always at least half-right, and as soon as Maeva finished the last step, a Goron gasped at her appearance and began to roll.

"Link," Maeva called, reaching her hand out to him in haste. Ooccoo, Junior and Gale were shrieking somewhere beside her. "Hurry up! The Iron Boots!"

"Right." Link allowed her to pull him up and jumped into his Iron Boots. "Everyone, against the wall!"

Maeva grabbed the rest and pressed back against the mountain face, watching with wide eyes as the Goron slammed right onto Link. His fingers burned when the Goron rolled even as he stopped him, but still, he shifted his entire body to the right to throw the rock-creature off the steps, down the mountain like his friend.

Catching Maeva's eyes on his fingers, Link shook his hands in the air. "Nothing to it," he said, flashing a smile. The others cheered. She wasn't so convinced. Why was he hiding his pain? Well, it didn't matter. If he wanted to suffer on his own, then he would. And nobody would notice her seething about being able to do nothing, either.

They hadn't reached the elder Gorons yet and Maeva wasn't sure how far into Death Mountain they were, but for some reason, she didn't mind. It felt good to be close to the earth with all its impurities and deformations. It was almost as if she could reach into the fumaroles and touch the earth's core – if the gases weren't so poisonous. The sudden affinity for the place confused even her – just days ago all heat reminded her of was one of the moments when Zant tried to leave her in a burning house – but she shrugged it off. There were other things to worry about.

Gale was not of the same opinion, however. Not only was it raining rocks – it was raining fire and brimstone, too! _Flaming rocks_!Death Mountain wasn't a mountain at all but a volcano, and an active one at that. It was a rusty rufous, fading either to brown or black in some places, not pleasing to the eye at all, and it was made worse when a long, flaming slab of rock plunged in from the sky and rooted itself into the ground.

They had been sneaking quietly then. The Iron Boots were in Link's pouch and the area was wide, the Gorons spread out enough so that they could sneak about and climb the high steps without being noticed. And then the slab shook the volcano, and Ooccoo let out an ear-curdling shriek.

The Gorons turned their heads at the high-pitched sound. "Humans!" they exclaimed, throwing their hands in the air in a panic before curling up and bracing themselves for a roll.

"Climb! Climb! Climb!" Link yelled. Maeva hurled Ooccoo as high as the next two steps – a little retribution for the attention the oocca garnered for all of them – and then Gale helped heave her upward with a strong wind. The Gorons crashed into Link one by one, and were each thwarted and sent rolling down the mountain, grunting in irritation as the fumaroles blew vapor into their backs.

"That was extraordinary, Link!" Ooccoo gasped when Maeva offered to pull him up to the next step.

She hadn't wanted to, but his fingers were red with friction and it was almost pathetic. Luckily for him, he didn't have to send too many more down the mountain before they reached the elders. After the slab of rock was out of sight, as well as the tempting hot springs, they caught sight of an entrance at the top of an inverted cone. It was that or nothing at all, so they climbed the spiral slope that circled the mountain, sticking to walls when Link performed his feat until they were faced with a dark cave entrance. What had been interesting was that on the way to the top, there were grilles and crates. Maeva wondered if the Gorons could craft these themselves or if it was evidence of their once strong bond with the humans of Kakariko village. The archway signaling the entrance to the elders' lair itself was lined with metal.

Link pondered on whether to wear Bo's boots. On one hand, perhaps the elders would see their mettle for managing to reach this far into the mountain, or perhaps they would decide they mustn't let this happen again and send a Goron army to flatten his friends, who would have nowhere to run, because the tunnel was narrow and only large enough to fit one Goron and no other being at a time.

He wore them, and was right to. The elders' lair reminded him much of Bo's inner ground floor, except their wrestling arena was a naturally raised, flat mound of rock. Six Gorons stood guard around it, three at each side, and across the room there stood two more, even larger. He was surprised to see a smaller one between them, but he had no time to think of that. The six Gorons had curled into their battle positions. He stomped a heavy foot, forbidding Maeva to stand beside him.

"Run!" he ordered.

"_Enough_!" the little one said in return, and Link realized that the gray, rocky parts of the Gorons' bodies weren't rocks – they were _hair_. This little one had tufts growing out the sides of his head. It reminded him of Barnes, in a way. Still, he was just relieved to see the six guards jump out of their positions and cross their arms, watching the little one expectedly.

"Is this young one such an imposing enemy that you must all gang up on him? I think not, Little Brothers." said the little one with an old, wise voice. He was an elder. Little Brothers. Link would laugh if it might not cost his friends their lives.

Maeva peeked out from behind Link, as well as Ooccoo, Ooccoo Junior, and Gale, who liked to float freely.

"Come forward," beckoned the elder.

The Goron guards parted to allow them passage. Maeva stared one in the eye defiantly, now that their lives were not on the line, but the Goron only stared back innocently. She looked back at the elder. What an odd people.

When they reached him, below the platform on which he stood akimbo, he spoke with a smile on his hardened face. "I am a Goron elder, little humans – and companions. I am called Gor Coron. Because of certain…circumstances, I must lead the Goron tribe in place of Darbus, our tribal patriarch. Tell me, who are you? Do you come from the village below?"

Link nodded. "We represent the villagers of Kakariko," he said with his mature voice. He was acting again, thought Maeva. "I am Link. My companions are Maeva, Ooccoo, her son Ooccoo Junior, and the fairy of Winds, Gale. The villagers below were once your friends – now you forbid them to come to your mountain, and provided no aid when they were attacked by bulblins. We've come to ask why."

Gor Coron paused, glancing away in shame before staring at each and every one of them. Old people generally unnerved her, but Maeva was happy to be able to hold his gaze. "You have done well to come this far. You are strong…for humans," he added. "However…" His arms crossed, the ridges where his eyebrows should have been creasing. "The mines beyond here are sacred to my tribe. Outsiders are not allowed."

"Surely there must be a reason," Link said. Maeva shivered at the skill of his act. She could never pretend like him – being a human was difficult as it was. "Or a way we might prove we are worthy of your trust…?"

Gor Coron's mouth turned up for a grin. "I could make an exception…" he said, his eyes narrowing, but his excitement was clear as day. "But you would have to beat me in a contest of power. Is at least one of you willing to try that, little humans?"

Link imitated his smirk. "Certainly."

…

Cheating had never looked quite so good. Gor Coron was mighty despite his old age, but Link's upper limbs were swift, even with the Iron Boots weighing him down. (Maeva noticed only then that he walked in an extremely entertaining manner when he wore them, but tried not to laugh. If the Gorons saw one of his companions poking fun at him, after all, they might think _none_ of them deserved the Gorons' respect.) Link ducked when Gor Coron swung, and swung when the Goron attempted to shove at him. Gor Coron managed to push him backward a few times, but even in the beginning, Maeva was certain he would win.

Or at least, she hoped he did. Ooccoo and Gale were cheering noisily, nonstop, and the Goron guards watching the match beside them seemed just about ready to sit on them with their rocky posteriors.

The Gorons gasped when Link shoved Gor Coron out of the ring. Ooccoo, Junior, and Gale cheered; even Maeva found herself standing up and at least pumping a fist in the air, gasping an inaudible 'yes!'

Gor Coron propped himself up on his elbows and smiled up at Link. He had never looked so happy. "Young warrior…you have a strong will, and sharp eyes. Fine traits – want to see how well you can use them?"

"What do you mean?" asked Maeva.

The Gorons all looked at her. She hated when that happened. But Gor Coron didn't seem to mind the question, though she almost felt as if she'd spoken out of turn because of their eyes unblinking, and answered once he stood. "You have seen it, I would bet. The mountain, erupting without pause."

"Oh, yes," said Ooccoo with a groan. "Such heat."

Gor Coron nodded in agreement. "When the mountain began to rage, all four of us elders and Darbus, our patriarch, went inside to investigate its anger. We have a treasure that was entrusted to us by the spirits, and we must protect it. Do you understand?"

More than you know, Link wanted to say, but only inclined his head.

"But the moment Darbus reached out and touched the treasure…everything went wrong. He collapsed…and before our very eyes transformed into an unspeakable monster!" The Gorons shook their heads sadly, as though mourning this memory. "He began to rage through the mines, trailing ruin behind him…and the eruptions grew more frequent and more severe. We used all of our strength to seal him deep inside the mountain. It – grieved us, to do this to our patriarch…" Even with his stiff voice, Link could hear the regret in his tone. "But we had no other course of action."

Gor Coron took a deep breath, like he was about to confess a terrible crime. "I ask this favor of you: go the aid of Darbus! On behalf of my entire clan, I, Gor Coron, ask you for your aid!"

Link glanced at Maeva, who nodded, and then back to Gor Coron. "We would aid you."

Gor Coron nodded, smiling gratefully as if he'd already known their answer would be yes. "Thank you." He waved a hand at the Goron guards blocking the way to the mines. "Let them pass!"

The only time Maeva had ever been forced to deal with fire was during her short stint alone, tracking Zant's army and thinking of a way to defeat him, before she carried out her pathetic plan and nearly died of asphyxiation. She'd been hungry, and there was only a barren wasteland before her, making it impossible to gather food from the earth. Luckily, she wandered into a traveling tribe of humans who were totally unaware of the markings Zant had returned to her in the blanket of night. They allowed her to rest in their temporary camp, and she watched them skin and prepare to cook hunted beasts in a fire. Meat tasted gray, which she hated, but if she was to survive hunting Zant down, she'd known she had to accustom herself to it. Of course, the next morning the tribespeople caught clear sight of her skin and thought the symbols a curse – they weren't wrong – and forbade her from traveling with them, but that was a normal occurrence now.

She had wondered, then, during that one night with those nomads, how it might feel to be cooked alive. The beasts were always dead, obviously, but it was just a thought. She didn't think she might ever have the chance to discover the answer, and she hadn't prayed hard enough so that she wouldn't.

It was only right that the Gorons be named guardians of the mountain, Ooccoo thought. They didn't sweat and they certainly wouldn't feel like they were melting simply because of close proximity to the magma bubbling within the volcano. As soon as the oocca stepped inside, she covered her nose and with a wing and felt her red eyes tearing up. That vapor she could smell from the fumaroles was everywhere. She wouldn't topple over and gasp for air anytime soon, but it was a nearly unbearable stench that wafted everywhere. How her son could stand it was unfathomable! She wanted to take him out of there, immediately, or ask him to remain with the Gorons, but he seemed so happy to be with their friends that she couldn't bring herself to.

"Really?" Gor Coron asked before he bade them good luck, when even Gale complained about the smell. He'd escorted them at least as far as the entrance of the mines. "We Gorons love that aroma. It is the smell of _home_."

Being anywhere close to the magma was giving death a better chance at claiming them earlier than was destined, but Maeva found she almost liked the proximity to the liquid fire. It wasn't about the magma itself, though the concept of it was wondrous; she felt so much stronger near it. She once heard that being close to death gave one a unique sense of being powerful – when she was suffocating in that burning house, that didn't come to mind at all, but this volcano gave her that feeling. Self-control was the only thing standing between her and death. It was invigorating.

"You shouldn't stand so close to the edge," Link's voice rose from the din of magma lapping against the rocks. They had jumped over fire geysers, used Bo's Iron Boots because they were the only things heavy enough to push down floor switches that temporarily turned off pipes that spewed out magma like a sewer drain, and sprinted past the exhausts to reach a door, and that was still in the same room as the entrance. Maeva had been staring into the magma for at least a minute already. What could be going on in her mind now? He had to work on taking a new approach with her, especially since her attitude towards him was constantly shifting.

She glanced back, looking irritated about what he assumed was his intrusion into whatever she might have been thinking about, but nodded. Well. She was always cooperative, but usually begrudgingly so. This was rare.

When Link pushed the door aside, Ooccoo Junior and Gale were so overjoyed to breathe in the fresh air that they flew out without giving him so much as a nod. Maeva did much of the same thing often, so Link was accustomed to it, and was only too glad to be out of the heat to think about it. Although outside was still within the mountain, fumaroles were largely absent from the equation in this area, which was filled with mostly structure and grilles. Barnes told him that Gorons were highly technological, with machinery that far outclassed human systems, and he hadn't understood it until now. There were arm-like metal extensions from cylindrical buildings almost as high as the mountain peaks themselves, with octagonal platforms as hands. Teal rock shimmered on the surface. What purpose did that serve for their mining?

"Link! Maeva! Look!" Ooccoo Junior shouted from behind a box of crates.

Ooccoo's wings flapped audibly as she made her way from Link's hat to the crate. "Oh! One of those floor switches!"

"But no exhausts," Link noted. He pointed to the teal octagonal platform. "To get that arm moving, maybe?"

Midna's voice stirred from the shadows. "Just press it," she urged, and only Maeva could see her grinning. "There's no other way to get across the mountain. What's the harm in trying a totally foreign power?" And then the imp shot Maeva a glance. "Oh…I know."

Maeva shot back a glare – or maybe it was only his imagination. It was gone when he blinked, and when Maeva glared, it often lasted for at least three seconds. What relationship existed between them? He often wondered. One was a creature of the twilight and the other was a human with those intricate twilight markings he wished he could read. Maeva stared at her arms often during meals when Ooccoo wasn't trying to drag her into the conversation. There was hatred written all over her face whenever she did, but even so, her gaze was distant. She detested those monsters, that much was clear, but appeared ambivalent about the markings.

"What are you waiting for?" Maeva asked, quirking an eyebrow as she noticed his gaze. Midna had already returned to his shadow. "Press the switch."

Her frown was steadily growing, and Link decided it was time to find the Fused Shadow instead of dawdling around and thinking, so he hobbled over to the switch and stepped on it. At the center of the area, the cylindrical machine holding the extensions groaned to life, and while the teal rock on its octagonal platform shimmered, the sound it emitted came out as a crackle, like the first warnings of heavy thunder.

"Wow! What is that?" Ooccoo Junior asked, perching himself on top of Maeva's head. "It's such a pretty color!"

"Curious," Ooccoo agreed.

"Only one way to find out!" Gale exclaimed.

Maeva walked forward instinctively, craning her neck to attempt a closer view of the platform's seemingly magical surface. Link followed closely behind, admiring the way the rock shone even without light, but was dismayed to find his feet pushing him towards Maeva as though he were magnetized to her.

The girl whirled with a ready glare. "Will you—"

"Whoa!" Link let out a shout, the sensation of his feet leaving the ground both exhilarating and frightening, but that was the last thing on his mind. It seemed to take forever: his boots were taking him high into the air; all he thought of was staying rooted to the steel flooring of the Goron structures, and all he saw was Maeva's annoyed expression turning to one of – what was that? _Worry_? – as she reached for his outstretched hands with her own. And then time snapped back to its usual pace, both of them screaming in shock, and then Link was hanging upside down from the platform and Maeva was hanging on for dear life, yelling about killing him if he ever let go.

"Link! Maeva!" Ooccoo and her son gasped, flying to catch up with them. The teal platform shifted, moving from the southern end of the area to the eastern, not that any of them could tell. Ooccoo sat on Maeva's head, asking Link what happened.

"Get – off – me!" Maeva demanded, shaking her head.

"Stop it, Maeva!" Ooccoo Junior said, "You're going to fall!"

"How is my hat still on?" Link asked, trying to make light of the situation. He didn't want his head to explode from the blood, but he couldn't release Maeva, and Ooccoo's voice was penetrating his brain and he couldn't think properly if he was agitated…

"What in the world is going on up there?" Gale yelled from below them.

"Link, your frivolity is infuriating!" Maeva shouted with ringing frustration. "How do we get down from here?"

"Shh! Quiet!" Link ordered, tightening his grip on Maeva. Everyone hushed. His expression softened at the silence, and Maeva's wide eyes turned into a glare. He sounded apologetic saying, "I'm…I'm trying to think. Maeva, do you think your staff can nullify the effect between the boots and the crystal long enough for us to get down?"

"Perhaps," Maeva grunted, her mind focused on her dangling feet. Uncertainty was such torture, and if Ooccoo shifted around on her head one more time… "But do you really think _that_ is the pressing issue?"

"I can pull you up," said Link, straining his neck to glance up at his boots. "My hands can support your feet if—Ooccoo, please, would you mind taking Gale and waiting for us over there?" He jerked his head in the direction of their intended drop-off point with so much difficulty, it looked like he was swinging his hat just for fun, instead.

"Ready?" Link asked, pulling Maeva's left hand especially tightly when she was finished watching Ooccoo fly away with a glare. "Climb with your right, first. Junior, are you listening? This all depends on you."

Ooccoo Junior, overjoyed to be delegated with such a significant task (though he had no idea what it could be), puffed up his cheeks and nodded his body. "Don't worry, Link! I'll help you and Maeva get down!"

"All right. When Maeva's feet are in my hands, we need you to get her staff and give it to her. Maeva will remove my boots from the platform when we can land next to where Gale and your mother are. Do you understand?"

"Mmhmm! Go, Maeva, go!"

Link's serious tone unnerved Maeva still, but she began to climb him. Grabbing his right bicep with her right arm, she could feel him bend his knees to support her weight. This had to be the most bizarre thing she had ever done, and suddenly she felt apprehensive about carrying it out. Would Link's arm not stretch beyond its boundaries, as she pulled herself up on him? This was his plan, of course, so he was liable for his own pain if anything happened. Yes. And in any case, as Maeva clenched her fist against his bicep and held on, he seemed to flex in an attempt not to let that happen. His left bicep was just as difficult to hold on to, but soon she had lifted herself by it, and there came the dilemma – there was nowhere else to hold on after Link's arms. Although, perhaps she could lift herself to his torso, though that would entail wrapping her arms around it, and she wasn't certain his body would be able to take it, considering that the only thing keeping her hanging that way were Link's feet. And if only it weren't so hot…

"Maeva," said the warm air that was becoming a constant on her cheek, "ready to keep going?"

Maeva concealed her yelp well enough for it to come out as a tired huff. In her efforts to reach the Iron Boots, she hadn't realized how close she had gotten to his face. Or his mouth, which seemed to curve downward for a smile. She would scold him angrily if her chest wasn't about to burst – it must be the height. She wasn't accustomed to heights anymore, not with her ability lost. In an almost-jump, because it couldn't have been a jump without something to propel herself against, she wrapped her arms around Link's torso. Now, for the thighs—

"Oh, _please_ stop breathing!" she couldn't help but shout downward, to her waist. She knew that despite being his perfect self, Link was having a difficult time, hence the heavy breathing, but she couldn't concentrate. The chosen one inhaled his breath in an instant and did as she asked, if only for a moment.

The moment was enough for her to lift her bend her knees high enough for him to grasp her feet, and finally she was at his boots. "Junior, my staff, please," she said, an arm around the Iron Boots.

Ooccoo Junior handed her the staff – she would never understand his strength – and then the small crystal was pitted against the boots and the platform. Maeva wasn't even certain this would work, but she lodged the staff's tip between the platform crystal and where Link's toes were. With a shockingly easy push, she managed to pry his boot off the crystal, causing Link's leg to fall forward, nearly breaking, until his foot removed itself from the boot and the metal gave a loud _thud_ right beside Ooccoo. Maeva waited for the arm to shift from that landing, to where the switch was and back before doing the same to Link's other boot. Gale softened their fall with a comforting cyclone.

Link sat up and shook his head. "That was close."

While the rest discussed the mechanics of the Iron Boots and how they appeared to lose their magnetism as soon as Link removed his feet from them, Maeva looked over her shoulder, behind the rails of the landing, to peer into the bubbling lava. It was the hero's way to narrowly avoid death, that much was certain, and yet following the right track made her feel like vomiting. Noticing Ooccoo's creased eye ridges, however, Maeva stood, shaking her vertigo away, and declared that they press further.

Another pool of magma awaited them within, providing a searing light in the mountain cavern from below. Link walked ahead with Gale, Ooccoo and her son, discussing Maeva-didn't-know-or-care, because she was busy attempting not to feel her clothes, drenched in sweat and clinging much too closely to her body by marveling at how the rocks didn't melt upon contact with the magma. For a moment, she imagined that she was part of the mountain, and felt daring enough to skirt the edges near the magma despite Ooccoo Junior's earlier warnings, so that if she tilted her head in just an angle, it would seem as though she were floating on liquid fire. So enamored was she of this thought that she missed her foot on the bright red tail of a low-lying lizard beast endemic to Death Mountain – the fire-breathing dodongo.

"Wha—!" Link shouted, jumping and turning around immediately. He spared the dodongo a moment of confusion before looking down at his flaming brown boots.

"Gracious! Someone put that out!" Ooccoo gasped, taking the task upon herself by flapping her wings in Link's direction. That was a mistake, however, as they fire grew only larger, and Link could do nothing but stomp about in an attempt to snuff it.

Snapping out of her reverie, Maeva was so shocked at what appeared to be Link dancing that she thought she might laugh, but the dodongo was rearing its head at her, very unhappy about being awakened, and poising itself to breathe more fire. Realizing its existence, she jumped out of the way and landed on her elbows in a pile of crates. The boxes at her feet burst into flames as the dodongo's fire made contact with them. Maeva rolled out of the way, drawing her staff, and sliced it against the dodongo, unaware that its skin was as thick and invulnerable as metal.

"Ooccoo!" Link couldn't stop himself from shouting. The oocca was still fanning at him, and from his peripherals he could see Maeva running away from that fire-breathing lizard. He would help her if he wasn't considering jumping into the magma to put out his flaming boots!

"Oh, let me!" Gale groaned, throwing herself at Ooccoo to push her aside, shooing Ooccoo Junior off at the same time, and then sent a calming wind Link's way, the kind she had used many times to put out forest fires her own sisters caused.

Maeva was running because her staff had never failed her against a beast before. Mostly because she had only ever hunted in forests and plains, where animals were furry and easy to skin. The dodongo's scales were near-impermeable, and this one was quick on its feet and chasing her swiftly, pausing only to take in the heat to produce fire. In the darkness of the mountain cavern with only magma as light, however, she was a better jumper. It took all of one leap towards an outlying rock amidst the noisy magma pool to outrun the oversized lizard. She glanced back as she landed on her knees, the friction of her arrival burning tiny holes into her trousers, and watched with morbid pleasure as the dodongo's skin hissed and melted against the shifting shapes inside the magma.

A sigh of relief among the many she had expended today. Maeva congratulated herself for jumping a distance most humans would struggle through – though her jumps seemed to be related to adrenaline and panic rather than to her own power returning to her in the human skin – but paused as the heat from behind her was, for a second, replaced with cold air. There was also that sound of a man – a woman? _something_ – drawing their breath, and Maeva turned to come face-to-face with a dodongo's mouth.

She peered into the depths of its charred brown throat, pink only where the fire didn't touch. The flames swirled from within its belly and surged out in a spiral, and despite being surrounded by magma, Maeva could feel the heat licking her face. Thoughtlessly, she thrust her staff forward into the dodongo's mouth, realizing what occurred only at the sight of its eyes rolling to the back of its head.

Maeva gasped not in disgust but in fear for her staff, thinking the crystalline edge would surely be ruined by now, but the staff was as good as new when she pulled it out. Without any ash marks, even. Briefly wondering what might happen if she dipped it into the lava, she decided against it and stood instead, leaping back to the others.

"Are you all right?" asked Link.

"Are _you_?" she answered, going round him, and was astonished to see that his Hero's Clothes were intact, not a thread out of place, or color. "Those garments…are truly made of magic, aren't they?"

Quoting what he remembered of Faron's speech, Link said, "From the goddesses themselves. But so is your staff. I saw what you did to the dodongo. Real crafty."

Maeva felt a grin tugging at her lips. What was this? How irritating. She felt pride from his compliment! But it was only natural, she supposed, even if it was from Link, of all people. Still, she wouldn't show that any of his words affected her, especially because his compliment was not particularly about her but about her staff, and Midna was right there…

Link saw Maeva's eyes downcast, staring into his shadow. He could guess and guess correctly why she closed her almost smiling lips at the sight of it, but said instead, "We should move on, don't you think?"

Past the rocks and over the thick magma pool was a Door. Maeva categorized it as an important door partly because it led to a little room with another elevated arena and tiny seats to the side as though arranged for an audience – which made her wonder how any Goron fit there – but mostly because an elder Goron with smoking geyser cones on his back stood hunched over a cane, watching them with a grave expression on his face.

"Greetings," said Link when they approached him. Maeva recognized it as his Mayor act, because it was the same act that convinced his villagers to believe that he was meant to hold the position in the future. "We've come to…"

"Gor Amoto is my name," said the plump little Goron, pleasantly, but with a slow tone that made Maeva's eyes squint and hope he would speak more quickly. "I thought I felt a presence…what a surprise to find young humans…"

Link nodded, motioning to them one by one. "It's an honor to meet you, elder. I'm Link. These are my companions, Maeva, Gale, Ooccoo, and her son, Ooccoo Junior. Gor Coron sent us to retrieve the key shards and save your…patriarch? Darbus."

Gor Amoto nodded, briefly sparing Gale in Link's hand a curious glance as he handed Link a key shard. "Word has come to me of you…if Gor Coron has faith in you, then your heart must be true. The two elders are at altars in the mine…they are praying. Go…please, save our tribe's patriarch! He suffers under the power of evil…"

Everyone paused for a moment, waiting for him to say more. He spoke so slowly that they thought he might have something else to add.

Gor Amoto tilted his head at them curiously before waving his cane at them. "Why…Why do you remain? You must hurry to the other elders!"

"Right," Link said, glancing back at the others sheepishly. "Thank you, Gor Amoto."

Gor Amoto bade them goodbye with another wave of his cane, shaking his head at them as they exited through a door opposite where they entered. Maeva was glad to leave – she thought they would last an eternity in that altar! – but as she turned her head to face the new area they had entered, she felt no more desire to press on.

"Water!" Oocoo Junior cheered. They had found a bluish cavern in a pool consisting of floating rocks as steps towards the other end, much like where Maeva had stepped on a dodongo, only this one contained no magma. A single grille stretching from the top of the cavern to the bottom of the water barred the way to the exit.

"What a relief," Link said, though it was posed as a statement one was meant to agree with. He touched the water with a bare hand. Warm, but at least he wouldn't disintegrate upon contact. That was as much as anyone could ask for in this volcano.

The others piped up in agreement, as expected, while Maeva muttered to herself, glaring at the water with haughty disdain. Something violet glinted in the water that she thought might have been a rupee, only it was slowly rising to the surface and it was pressed onto a deformed red mound of wrinkled skin, which in turn was connected to four spindly legs, bent at first until they sprang, launching the violet thing into the air. An _eye_, it registered in Maeva's mind, though she had already instinctively drawn an arrow against Link's bow.

"Ooccoo Junior, watch out!" she shouted a moment before she released the bowstring, shooting the monster square in its eye. It gave a dying shriek before falling back into the water.

"Wow," Link remarked. Maeva was pleased.

"Thanks, Maeva!" Oocoo Junior said as though he hadn't almost been attacked by a hideous leaping thing, floating closer to the water to look at the monster's corpse.

"Gracious!" Ooccoo gasped, flapping her wings at her son. "Stay close to Maeva, dear! You never know what sorts of creatures lurk around here…Thank you, dear," she said to the girl.

Maeva blinked. "You…Ooccoo, are welcome." She caught a smile Link threw her way, however, and shook herself out of it. Why should she be surprised? She had saved Ooccoo Junior, and it was only right that his mother thank her. It was the hero's way to accept gratitude. Reluctantly, she said, "Let us move on. We've wasted enough time."

Link hopped from rock to rock towards the grille, glancing back every so often to watch Maeva lag behind. "Look here," he said, extending a hand out to Maeva as she joined him on the floating rock, but wasn't surprised that she didn't take it. "Part of the fencing is broken off. We can swim down, swim through, and get to the next challenge."

"Yoohoo!" the cavern caused Ooccoo's voice to bounce around. "Link! Maeva! We're rooting for you!"

The oocca, as well as Gale, had already made it past the fence. They surrounded the door, waving and, as was the boomerang's case, floated around in circles on a small cyclone. Maeva clenched her jaw before it fell. "How did you get there?"

They had flown in through a little less than half a meter's width of space between the top of the grilles and the cavern ceiling. Maeva briefly contemplated turning back and finding another way, but Link had already dove into the water. Clicking her tongue, she climbed the fence and forced her body between the cavern ceiling and the cold fence, then skipped over the pool to sit beside the others.

Link glanced back as soon as he rose out of the water, searching for his reluctant companion, only to realize by way of an impatient sigh near him that he hadn't needed to. She sat cross-legged on the dry rock, narrowing her eyes at him the way she always did. In fact, this was an improvement. It was a thoughtful kind of glaring, in his mind.

"Oh. Hi," he grinned, wringing his hat dry. He attempted to shake his hair dry, too, and realized that it was the wolf moving. Maeva pointed at where she'd climbed over in reply to his clueless stare, but he'd already figured that out. Slight bruises formed over her stomach and her collarbone where the metal grated against her skin. He didn't understand the aversion to water, but decided against asking. He didn't exactly feel like having insults thrown at him that moment, as much as he liked watching different expressions glancing her face, and the thought of Darbus had him busy. He hoped the patriarch wasn't lurking in a murky lake with aggressive snapping plants. "I don't think I would have fit there. Good plan, though."

Outside the door was the same open area where they had found the first octagonal platform, only this path led them down its cylindrical base, where another switch waited for them. After much deliberation within the party – during, in truth, since Midna interrupted them and demanded that they move on – Link pressed the switch and was hurtled into the air by another passing platform with crystals, barely yanking Maeva off the ground before standing upside-down again. They repeated the process of removing Link from the crystal, this time near a different door, and found themselves in a brand new magma pit. Instead of dodongo and crates and red rocks, the shining blue-green crystals from the platforms made the cavern walls. The party gave a collective 'oh.'

"There won't be jumping to the rocks," Maeva noted when she was finished marveling. Perhaps she could, but only with enough adrenaline. She felt so helpless. Not bothering to hide her frustration, she muttered, "They are too few and far between. How do those Goron even cross these areas?"

"I could carry you," Link suggested, shrugging at her question. "Across, to the door. I won't let go."

"I'll fall once you get to the ceiling," Maeva replied curtly and doubtfully.

"You could shift as soon as I turn to the ceiling. Like outside," said Link, though it sounded more like he was only thinking out loud. "There's no other way across."

"You can do it, Maeva!" Ooccoo Junior cheered, already at the door. How Maeva wished to be a head with wings behind her ears at that moment, but there was no other way. If she could only leap…!

Link carried Maeva on piggyback once he donned the Boots, as the party had come to call them. Her arms and legs were wrapped around his neck and waist, but she turned her head away so as not to face him at all, he surmised, which was something he expected of her. The lack of a distraction was all for the better, anyway. He hobbled over to the crystals and started to climb. It was extremely difficult, staying upright and keeping Maeva behind him. The muscles in his stomach shook from the task, and were given a reprieve only when he began to walk more upside down than right-side up, which was when Maeva allowed herself to slip down, slowly, so that only her hand in his kept her from falling into the magma.

His back and stomach ached like anything, but Link provided Maeva with his usual smile. "How are you doing there?"

Maeva strained her neck to look up and glare at him, but her tone wasn't as snappy as he thought it might be. "As well as anyone dangling from a ceiling might be."

"Don't worry," he said. "I won't let you—"

"What is that?" Maeva interrupted, her voice ringing with alarm. Her eyes were directed at something past him. "It's—it's on fire. It's coming closer. Put it out, Link. Put it out!"

Link hardened his stomach and pulled himself to see his feet. A flaming slug was creeping towards him, breathing small bouts of fire, and try as he might he couldn't lift his foot and step on it. Removing his foot from any one of the Boots would render them ineffective so it wasn't an option. With his free hand, he reached for his sword, but it was futile. The arm holding Maeva was too far-stretched, and he didn't have the strength to pull her up any more and even poke the slug with the tip of his sword.

Maeva let out a groan. "I'll do it," she said, drawing her staff with her empty hand, and held the end of it so she could swing it upward. Link was barely able to move his face before she thrust it at the ceiling, but the staff wasn't long enough, either. She grunted, swinging her feet slightly so as to further her reach. "If I could only—"

"Maeva, don't move!" Link gasped, his fingers losing their grip on hers as they started to sweat from the effort.

"Be quiet, Link, I can—" Maeva realized it too late. The tighter she held, the faster she slipped from his grasp. "Don't let go—!"

"I can't—Maeva!" Link's scream echoed through the cavern as the last of her touch left him.

"I'll save you, Maeva!" Ooccoo Junior cried out, dashing from his place beside his mother and spinning around Maeva's figure thrice. Link saw the familiar black of Midna's shadow tendrils shoot out from the Boots, but even she was too late. Ooccoo Junior and Maeva disappeared with a _pop_.

…

Maeva's shrieking was cut off abruptly by the sharp thump of her posterior against hard ground. Something fell on her stomach – Ooccoo Junior. Taking him in her hand and touching her own face with the other, she gave a short laugh of realization. She was not dead, not melting in magma, not a ghost out to kill Link. Well, she supposed it was partly her fault she slipped away, but she would never tell him that.

"You saved me," she said to Ooccoo Junior and, for the first time since she came to Zelda's side, felt the bones in her fingers shake. "Thank you, Ooccoo Junior."

"You're welcome," said the boy, pink dashing his pale cheeks in an adorable yet eerie manner. He really was an odd creature, but who was she to speak? "That's what friends do, right?"

"Of course," agreed Maeva, allowing him to take flight around her head. She noticed a red sphere behind his small head, but it was out of focus and she was too grateful for him to think on it. "We are friends."

"Right!" Ooccoo Junior grinned. "So…I think we should go back to Mama now. I can always find her no matter what."

Maeva nodded. "She had crossed the magma, of course…" And then, coming to an epiphany, she slapped a hand over her face. "Ugh…that's it! All of this trouble…"

"What do you mean, Maeva?"

"You could have teleported us across the magma. It was a short distance – when we tested your powers that night in Link's house, you'd gone even farther. This was all for _naught_."

"Oh yeah!" Ooccoo Junior laughed, not sounding as though he found it regrettable at all, but Maeva understood that this was the way of a child. It had been hers once, too. "Anyway, we should—ungh!"

"Junior—!" Maeva grabbed his small body, throwing herself forward to avoid the red beam of light that had injured the boy and running behind the nearest grille. When she was sure of their safety, she finally gave the room the attention she should have before – it was circular, surrounded by six or seven rectangular statues that spun slowly, a red light on each of them. That was one of the red spheres she had noticed in passing – the same one that shot out a scathing red beam. Near each statue were grilles, one of which she had dove behind.

Breathing heavily, the surprise still in her voice, she asked, "J-Junior?"

Ooccoo Junior's eyes were closed, a part of his skin seared from where the red beam had hit him. Unconscious, but still breathing.

"No. No, no, no, no, no…" Maeva repeated, her mind freezing and overworking at the same time, thoughts of Ooccoo's sobs and Link's disappointment swirling in her head all at once, fighting for dominance. Ooccoo Junior saved her and she repaid him by allowing him to come to harm. He depended on her and trusted her and now this happened, and it was exactly what Zant did to her, wasn't it? Just a little boy… That was her way, she supposed – letting people down. That wasn't the hero's way at all. What would she do? All their curative items were with Link. Bandages, potions—

Maeva felt tears prickling her eyes, but she stubbornly blinked them away. She was nothing like Zant. Zant had protected her with every intention to harm her in the future should she stand in his way. That was _his_ way. Not hers. "I will take you to safety," she promised Ooccoo Junior, and couldn't be more thankful for the door that stood before her now, behind one of the spinning statues. She hadn't noticed it in her panicked state.

Maeva bit her lip so as not to cry out in relief when she rushed down a descending path with deep skid marks and saw a brown Goron with innumerable colored tattoos sitting on top of an arena, a meaningful grin on his long face.

"You are here at last!" he laughed, bidding her come closer, though she hadn't needed his permission. "I heard that you might pay a visit, young—"

"You must aid my friend," Maeva pleaded, getting to her knees before his cross-legged figure and showing him the fainted oocca. "He was hurt by a statue outside, and I have no curative items. Please."

The Goron seemed quite thrown off, but he nodded and rose, dashing to a shelf in the room and taking a red flask. Pouring a yellow salve from it into his hand, he rubbed it on Junior's wound and gave Maeva a smile with his foam green lips. "His wounds should heal soon, young human."

His words wouldn't placate her. Restlessly, she smoothed a finger over Junior's wings. "What is the purpose of those statues? Are you so averse to visitors?" As soon as the words passed her lips, her eyes narrowed. This place was an altar. "…you must be an elder. My name is Maeva. We were sent here–"

"To aid our patriarch, Darbus, yes," said the Goron, nodding knowingly. "I am farsighted in all things – you may call me Gor Liggs. We have Beamos statues to keep bulblins away; ever since Darbus _changed_…many monsters have flocked to Death Mountain. But you should know this; did Gor Coron fail to mention it?"

"I…was otherwise preoccupied when he spoke with my companions." She certainly hadn't remembered anything of the sort, thanks to Ooccoo and Gale's chattering beside her.

Gor Liggs shrugged flippantly. "Now, the Hero's Bow you claimed. It is said that—"

"I've claimed no such thing," Maeva replied, flinching a little when the elder turned his head at her sharply. "My friend and I were separated from our companions before we managed to."

The colorful elder appeared thoughtful. "Hm. A little ways from this room is where you will find the Hero's Bow. You will have to pass through the Beamos statues again, but I see you already possess a bow of your own. Why not claim it now, while I care for the child?"

"I can't leave Ooccoo Junior," Maeva replied instantly. "He is my responsibility. I can wait for him – surely the Mine has more challenges for our companions."

"Hrrph…I see…" Gor Liggs nodded and motioned to where she stood. "Take a seat, young human."

Maeva gave a thank you and sat. When she realized that Ooccoo Junior would not wake soon, she trained her vision to her surroundings. While Gor Amoto's altar was simple, this elder's was decorated with hunting trophies. Flattened torch slugs and dodongo were strung to the walls like ornaments. Shelves were spread out around the room, stocked with colorful flasks, one of which he had used on Junior. Drapes hanging from the ceiling were brown, striped with soft colors, highly contrasted to the blinding bright magma: purple, foam green, chrome yellow, that – Maeva noticed at the very end of her inspection – matched the tattoos of the tall, lean Goron elder before her.

Gor Liggs was not a stocky Goron. He was the thinnest out of all she had seen, in fact, though he seemed much sprightlier than Gor Amoto, who spoke slowly and made her more impatient. He spoke with a certain vigor that gave Maeva hope, at least in the face of Ooccoo Junior's injury. His tattoos were very curious. His entire body was painted a dark taupe, which couldn't be very comfortable.

When Maeva shifted and touched her arm, imagining how uneasy she might be in his place, she realized that Gor Liggs was staring at her staring at him. He wasn't looking at her markings, either – just her.

She gave an embarrassed cough. "Your…tattoos are very interesting, elder."

Gor Liggs smiled. "As are you, young human. I have seen few of your kind with paint like ours."

_Your kind_. What a nice thought, but surely he knew better. "You must have seen the treasure that drove your patriarch mad. My tattoos are derived from that ancient piece."

"Then, you are not proud of your markings?" asked the elder, tilting his head innocently. His purpose was unclear to Maeva, and before she could answer, he continued. "Paint symbolizes our origins – the tribe from which we hail, our family within it, and even our own history. We inscribe new markings in our skin with every victory or loss."

"Your losses?" Maeva shook her head in confusion. "Why recall what shames you?"

The elder chuckled as though he'd expected such a query. "Victory has no merit for one who has never failed. But one who has lost times before takes his triumph to heart. Your tattoos…are unnerving," he admitted, so quietly Maeva thought she might have imagined it. She had expected _that_, his fear, but not the apology in his tone. "They bring to mind what has become of Darbus. But I am farsighted in all things, and you are not in league with those who would harm our patriarch."

Maeva glanced up at Gor Liggs and his large, beady eyes. There was something honest about the gaze of a Goron, as though they knew nothing of deceit. She didn't quite understand what he'd meant about their tattoos, but he was kind. "Thank you," she said, "for saying that."

"M…Maeva?"

"Junior!" Maeva nearly jumped, kneeling closer to the stirring oocca child so that her elbows touched the ground. "How do you feel?"

"I'm…fine now," said the boy, smiling slightly, flapping his wings as though testing them before leaping into the air and flying, bouncing before them up and down. "What happened?" he turned his body to face Gor Liggs. "Who are you?"

Utterly relieved, Maeva introduced the elder Goron and the young oocca before explaining to him what occurred with the Beamos statues. They thanked Gor Liggs profusely for his aid, received a key shard for their troubles and his, and stepped outside the altar.

"Ooccoo Junior," Maeva began when she rolled the door to Gor Liggs' room closed, "forgive me. I could have saved you from the Beamos statue, but I chose not to take notice of it."

"It's all right, Maeva!" Ooccoo Junior laughed at her worry, floating around her head. The back of his was patched with a piece of cloth that kept his wound closed. "But we should go back to my mama now, don't you think? Link and Gale must be really worried, too."

Maeva had almost forgotten about the others. Her mind was filled with the magic of Gor Liggs' words, but Ooccoo Junior was right. In a sense. "Gor Liggs gave me permission to take the Hero's Bow, in a room past the Beamos statues. If it isn't in Link's possession, we might as well take it."

"Hmm…" Ooccoo Junior flitted about abruptly, careful not to have the Beamos statues catch sight of him. "I do smell treasure. Let's go, Maeva!"

She happily obliged. Ooccoo Junior flew over the statues easily, following his nose to a nearby door. Maeva followed suit, darting across the room when all the statues were turned away.

Reaching into her shirt, Maeva scratched the area between her neck and her right shoulder blade. It was very hot. Inside the elder's altar she had almost forgotten this fact, but trapped on an island around which magma swirled threateningly, as if raring to swallow the large chest in its center, the prickling heat irritated her skin like healing wounds. After scratching her other arm, head, and effectively ruining her hair with sweat, she knelt down, took the chest by middle, and heaved it open with a grunt.

The Hero's Bow was so intricately crafted that Maeva didn't want to touch it at first. It seemed brand new; its metal braces shone in the magma without a single spot of rust. Two figures were carved against its face and recurve, covered in leaves and circular formations that resembled clouds, respectively. She didn't understand who they might be, at first, until she removed the accompanying quiver from the chest. A woman against the backdrop of what she recognized as Death Mountain was sewed into the design. The figures on the Bow were women as well – the three goddesses of the light realm.

"Wow," Ooccoo whispered, staring at the Bow and quiver with as much wonder as his older companion while he rested on her shoulder. "It's so pretty."

Maeva nodded in agreement, tracing her fingers against the wreath laced into Farore's hair when all of a sudden, successive rumblings that rocked the earth – something she had grown accustomed to – threw her off balance. But it was the nearby bellowing that bothered her and Ooccoo Junior.

"Rorrhhhohhhhh!"

Only Link could draw such a pitiful cry from the proud Gorons. And Bo, perhaps, in his prime.

"It's coming from over here!" Ooccoo Junior declared, motioning to the door opposite whence they came. "Come on, Maeva!"

As soon as they entered the area, the earth shook and Maeva instinctively grabbed the railings of the hanging bridge on which she stood. Chains dangled from the ceiling. She guessed it was another challenge – the Gorons deliberately cut off the bridge so that only those worthy enough could cross by swinging across with hooked chains, or risk a slow, fiery death. Another quake proved her wrong. Regaining her balance, Maeva peered down into the familiar depths of magma – only in this area, a half-sphere of the teal rock floated on the liquid fire, swaying and tilting to the movements of its inhabitants.

While Ooccoo Junior found Gale and his mother on the other side of the bridge across the chains, Link battled it out with a Goron thrice his size below.

Dangoro was a young, impressionable Goron. He had always been larger than those his age – almost as imposing as the patriarch, in fact – and would have been trained by Darbus himself if not for a deciding flaw in his character. Unfortunately, Dangoro was easily fooled by his playmates, the grandson of Gor Liggs especially. When the elder council of Gorons realized he was not fit to be the next patriarch, he was relegated to sentry duty deep in the heart of their Mines. Dangoro took no offense at all and was only too happy to be of use to his tribe.

Now, the last time he heard from any of his elders, there were to pass no humans. And Dangoro followed orders – it was one thing he prided himself on being the best at. No human would pass, even if he seemed friendly and wore the appearance of the Hero of legend with his golden hair and tried to reason with him with a mellifluous voice that would have lulled him to sleep if he wasn't so expertly focused on his task. So when the human clad in green stepped into the teal platform with some difficulty (like his more intelligent Goron elders, Dangoro knew nothing of footwear), Dangoro ignored all attempts at amiable speech and charged his helmeted head at him.

The chains holding the platform to the bridge had loosened when Dangoro attacked him. After losing Maeva and Ooccoo Junior, Link had crossed the teal ceiling and dropped down, after which he listened to Midna rant in a language he didn't understand. She raised her voice as she faced him, Ooccoo, Gale, the lava, the ceiling, the air, everything – so that he had no idea who it was she was truly angry with. She calmed down when Ooccoo and Gale gave comforting words, but he knew better than to speak; Midna might accuse him for being the actual cause of their separation, and it wasn't something he wanted to hear in any tongue. If he had only held on tighter…

In any case, Ooccoo assured them all that if she could still feel her son's presence, he certainly still lived. Maeva's life was an accessory to this. What confused them was why Ooccoo Junior would not simply teleport back to his mother. She had raised him with the thought of always returning to her, wherever they went. Even when they met Gor Ebizo and received the second key shard, the two still didn't return.

His feet had begun to weigh heavier then, even when he wasn't wearing the Boots. It was Midna's doing, he knew. When she inhabited his shadow, he could feel – something – from her. Emotions, though heavily obscured. Link was accustomed to the weight of what he had finally identified as anger on his shadow, but nothing else. Before Maeva disappeared and Midna's shadows had shot out from his Boots in an attempt to catch her, his feet had been incredibly heavy. He thought it might be worry, but the Hero dared not presume. For all their thinly veiled insults and arguments with each other, Midna and Maeva were shockingly alike in their temperaments. Midna only hid it better with a giggle while Maeva wore her disgruntlement on her sleeve.

Midna shifted to Ooccoo's shadow when he wore the Iron Boots in the face of Dangoro. Perhaps she, too, knew the weight she brought on him and the encumbrance it posed. And he still hadn't found Maeva and Ooccoo Junior.

After failing to talk sense into the hulking Goron and being punched in the head like a rag doll (which would have caused him to fall into the magma had the Iron Boots not rooted him to his spot), Link handled Dangoro the same way he handled the rest of his kinsmen. He braced himself when Dangoro curled himself into a ball, held his arms out to stop him, and waited for the friction to burn his fingers until he had caught enough of his skin to throw him aside. Dangoro reacted surprisingly well to the magma, however, only yelping and jumping right back onto the platform.

Weary after several tries, Link wondered if he should begin taking another approach to slapping some sense into the Goron guard when Dangoro himself held up a fist that could easily crush his body in half and panted, "All right…Okay. That…hurt a lot." He continued speaking to himself, breathing heavily the way Link didn't know Gorons could. "Who knew that humans were capable of such feats of strength…"

"I didn't…want to fight," Link said slowly but loudly, so it might get drilled into Dangoro's head, though his voice was hoarse with fatigue and his face moist with sweat. "I…I only…"

"Uh…Maybe…" Dangoro removed his helmet and tossed it aside to scratch his head. He looked much less menacing that way. "You are…going to see the patriarch of our tribe?"

Finally, Link thought, and gave one vigorous nod. "That's…what Gor Coron sent…sent me here for. I didn't…come here to steal your treasure."

"Ah!" Dangoro's spent expression turned into one of relief. As if on cue, the magma level in the room rose, stopping only when the platform reached its chains. "So that is why you are here! With skills like yours…even the patriarch can be brought back to his senses… Then you may take the Hero's weapon and save our patriarch!"

"Thank you," Link said, inclining his head. "Now—"A high-pitched voice squealed out from behind him. "Junior?"

"Hi, Link!" Ooccoo Junior beamed, taking a seat on his forearm as though nothing had happened. "I saw you defeat the big Goron! You're so strong!"

Link smiled sheepishly before allowing his eyebrows to furrow. "…Where's Maeva?"

"Oh, she's over—"

"Aaargh! Thieeef!" Dangoro's voice boomed from across the bridge. As soon as he'd turned around from speaking with the human who would help their patriarch, he laid his eyes on an even smaller one, this time with tattoos, clad in dreary colors (Dangoro liked bright colors – like the blue of his eyes and protective belt) and with the _Hero's weapon_! It was meant for the human who had matched him in battle, not this frail-looking one! Raising his fist in preparation for a heavy blow, he let out a roar.

Maeva had been minding her own business, watching the battle as an outsider when it ended. She was relieved – not for Link, of course, but because now they would be able to move on, and Midna would not do so without him – for a moment, until the platform was raised back on level with them and Link's crazed opponent turned, bellowing at her, pulling his fist back—

She yelped and leapt backward, hitting her head and back against the door. "What are you—!"

"Dangoro!" Link dove between the girl and the Goron – preparing another clout that wouldn't miss the second time – and waved his hands haltingly. "Dangoro, stop! Maeva is a friend!"

"Oh." Dangoro dropped his arm and smiled at Maeva as though he hadn't attempted to bludgeon her across the room. "The other human…carried the Hero's weapon. I thought…"

"Ooccoo Junior teleported us to the third elder, who bade us take the Bow. I am not a thief!" Maeva began sounding desperate and ended sounding very displeased with Dangoro. Standing and dusting herself off, refusing Link's help, she whipped out the key shard from Gor Liggs and waved it at Dangoro like a protective talisman. "I couldn't have stolen _this_, could I?"

She looked rather ridiculous doing it, and Dangoro even sillier for taking a step backward, as though he feared a thing he could easily step on, but Link smiled just the same. "Either way, I'm…glad you're both safe, Maeva."

Without turning her head, Maeva narrowed her eyes at him and then huffed, tossing him the key shard. "You worry so, each time we're separated. I can handle myself."

With that, she walked away into the next room, but not before her gaze flickered to Ooccoo fussing over Ooccoo Junior's wound. Link was beginning to believe that it actually was worry he saw in her eyes, but wasn't able to give it much thought as Midna's silhouette zipped past him to follow Maeva. Her reply was less surly than usual, at least.

Link would have followed, but Dangoro rested a heavy hand on his shoulder. "You…will save our patriarch now? With the other human?"

"Yes," replied the hero chosen by the gods. "She wields the bow in our party."

Dangoro only nodded in comprehension.

"You really must learn to shoot arrows, Link," said Ooccoo, resting on his hat when she was certain Ooccoo Junior was safe. "Now we have two bows, and a proficient hero is a good hero, yes?"

"Right," Link agreed for the sake of it, though the thought hadn't been far from his mind. He focused on the sounds past the door, the high-pitched nonsensical language he remembered Midna spouting just a while ago. Bidding Dangoro fare well, he opened the door and was welcomed by Maeva raising an index finger at Midna's chest.

"I was _only_ trying to destroy the slug at his feet! How was I to know it would all end with me slipping?"

Midna's tiny hand slapped Maeva's away. The imp opened her mouth to reprimand again, but the sight of the others silenced her. Muttering something in that unknown language, she dove back into Link's shadow.

"What happened?" asked Gale immediately.

"Gracious," Ooccoo agreed. "Are you two all right?"

"It was only a discussion – none of your business, really," Maeva snapped. "Now, follow me. Ooccoo Junior and I've come this way before."

They followed in silence, though Ooccoo, her son, and Gale couldn't help but speak as soon as they exited the room that had held the Hero's Bow. Maeva stopped them for a moment to disarm Beamos statues, which Ooccoo Junior explained had been the cause of his wound, and then they passed the last elder's altar to reach the last challenge before Darbus.

"This will be easy," Link said, turning eagerly to his companions. The difficult part would soon begin, but at least he could rest before what he knew would be a battle. "All we have to do…is swim."

That was it; there was no catch at all, no grilles that were ripped at the bottom of the lake, no rocks to jump over. They stood on a cliff and then water below, spanning nearly the entire area, and then some land that would allow them to aid Darbus.

"_No_," said Maeva, giving emphasis to the 'n' and the 'o' as she peered over the edge of the cliff.

"Why?" Ooccoo Junior asked before Link could. "Swimming will be fun! Come on, Maeva!" Taking off from her shoulder, the oocca flapped his wings slowly before allowing his body to free fall into the water.

"Junior! No!" Maeva stood over the edge to reach out to him, but missed by only so much. When her body realized it was no longer teetering over the edge but falling instead, it threw her off the cliff completely.

Maeva screamed and sputtered in the water, flailing her arms in a foolish manner only one in the party would have expected of her. Her speech was interrupted by gurgling, but her splashing made more noise and no one could make out the words.

"Maeva, what are you doing?" Ooccoo Junior asked, horrified by the sight. "You have to swim!"

"What are you waiting for—?" Midna shrieked, shooting out of the Iron Boots. "Maeva can't swim, you idiot!"

Link_ had_ thought she was a little too eager to swim compared to how she'd acted around water before. He'd also thought she was playing, tricking Ooccoo Junior and the rest of them, but perhaps he should have known that that wasn't like her at all. It was just so hard to imagine that she didn't know how—but this was no time to _think_—so he removed the Boots and plunged into the water.

Maeva remembered someone taking her arms and wrapping them around them, then being dragged across the length of the accursed water to safety. When she was fully conscious, she felt Gale's wind blowing her hair out of her face.

"Are you all right, Maeva? Maeva?" the fairy's voice rose among the others crept into her senses. "Maeva!"

Something pressed down between her chest. She involuntarily coughed out water and then woke, if she was ever asleep. Maeva opened her eyes and Link supported her back, helping her sit up.

"Ugh," she groaned, shaking his hands away from her and squeezing the bridge of her nose. That was the most terrible feeling. She had thought she would pass before seeing retribution come to Zant. "That…"

"I'm sorry, Maeva!" Ooccoo Junior cried, over and over again. "I didn't know you were going to—"

"It's nothing," Maeva waved him off, still coughing. She hated pools of _anything_. In fact, she'd had enough unwitting falling to last her a lifetime. "I'm…I'm all right."

Link shook his head, still catching up with his own breathing patterns. He had swum them both and their weapons a long way. "Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim?"

Maeva snorted. And regretted it immediately afterward – even breathing was painful at the moment. "I didn't think it was necessary. In any case, this…this was an accident, wasn't it?"

"Are you sure? Or maybe you really _do_ have a death wish," said Midna, coming out of Link's shadow. Her arms were crossed and her red eyes glared at Maeva like they had never before.

"Only if dying means taking him down with me," Maeva replied in the same grave manner.

Midna only scoffed. "We'll see."

Hurt glanced Maeva's expression, but if he really did see it, Link doubted. It was gone when he blinked. He figured the magma was making him see things – only there was no magma in this area.

"I'm all _right_," Maeva repeated, now rather irritably, but her legs shook when she tried to move them. They felt wobbly, still.

"Okay, so…" Link stood, adjusting the Pocket behind his waist. I'll go in and see Darbus. Rest here, all right? I'll—"

"No," Maeva answered, the last of her coughs interrupting what should have been a derisive laugh. "Do you think _aiding_ him will be so easy? Why do you think the Gorons lent us this Bow? Assemble the key shards while I regain my equilibrium."

"All right," said Link, raising his hands in surrender. For someone rather choleric, she didn't give orders as often as Midna. Besides, she had the right idea.

They were silent as he assembled the key that would open the great door behind them. Gale continued to fan Maeva, who inclined her head almost reluctantly in gratitude. Ooccoo and Ooccoo Junior watched Link in his task.

It irritated Maeva how Link stared at her when he was finished. She didn't want to look back, so she wasn't certain what it was he was looking at, exactly, but oh, he was staring. She knew it. She wanted to pull his hat down over his eyes and dare him to stare through _that_.

"All right," she said, though she'd still wanted to rest. Maeva would rather face Darbus than feel his unnerving gaze upon her.

And so they did. After much argument, Ooccoo and her son were left behind to keep them safe, while Gale, insisting that she would be useful, was brought in by Link. As soon as they entered Darbus's chambers, the wide sliding doors behind them slammed shut.

An eerie gust of wind swirled around Link and Maeva. They would have jumped out of their skins had they not realized that it was Gale. Even the boomerang shivered. "…It's so dark."

Maeva couldn't help but agree, although she was referring to something else. The chamber was a dome with pillars inscribed in the wall. Chains on each pillar bound a large thing towering even higher than Dangoro shrouded in shadows, the ancient kind, and just as the figure's shape filled into her head as a Goron – Darbus – the prisoner bellowed, tugging at the shackles on his wrists and ankles, and tore them off the pillars.

The ground shook. Link whipped his head at Maeva. "What was that?"

"Darbus has freed himself from his shackles…!" she replied, not even bothering to take out her staff. It was one thing to battle an enormous, violent plant and another to battle the patriarch of a rock-skinned tribe trapped in ancient power. In any case, Gale and Link figured that out for themselves – parts of the old shadows that had wrapped themselves around Darbus picked away, revealing flames that lit his body and the room itself, a depressing bluish gray.

"Does anyone else find it peculiar that he broke free _right_ as we entered the room?" Gale wailed over Darbus's roaring, but was ignored in favor of backing away. He stomped towards them, each step nearly throwing Maeva and Link off their feet, swinging his heavy chains and further destroying the columns that once bound him.

"Out of the way, you fool—!" Maeva ducked and managed to pull Link down by the belt as the chains were hurled over their heads to chip off parts of the chamber wall, causing debris to tumble down from above.

Gale tore herself from Link's grip and rose to blow the fist-sized rocks just so that they fell beside her companions instead of on them. And then she met Darbus, rushing and whirling around him and sending flurries of harsh winds whipping round his head.

"How does one rouse a flaming madman?" Maeva yelled over the furious wind and the collapsing pillars.

Jumping over them behind her, Link shook his head. "You don't!"

Gale's tactics only confused Darbus for so long. Soon he snarled and swatted his arm, thicker than the boomerang's length, and she fell against the wall like a tiny mosquito.

"Gale!" Link turned away from Maeva to search for the boomerang under the wreckage Darbus had caused.

Maeva heard Link's cry and stopped, watching him dig through the rubble. There could be no way. Darbus was too strong, too big, and they had no Ook to supply them with bombs. In any case, what could they do with bombs? They would only incite the possessed patriarch's anger and cause the dome to collapse over them faster. Gale was incapacitated, Link worried too much, and she – had to think of something. Where was Midna?

No time for that. Darbus had taken notice of her, having lost Link behind all the mess, and began lumbering forward. Maeva looked him over, mind racing and trying to spot a weakness; his shadow heart, his flaming arms, his sharp head?

His head. Something glowed atop it, and not his eyes. A crystal?

Maeva wondered—then drew an arrow from Din's quiver, held it between Farore and Nayru and fired. Darbus howled in pain, falling back and flailing about without a particular target. She wasn't certain if that was what she'd wanted, but it was better than running away. That wouldn't be her way anymore. But…now what?

"Link—!" she shouted, turning, and then flinched at the thought that his name had escaped her mouth. Before she could contemplate why she would call him of all allies and not Midna, she saw him, Gale sticking out of the Hero's Pocket. His face was ashen with wreckage particles, but determinedly the hero grabbed the patriarch's ankle chains and pulled—only to be dragged across the floor with them.

Maeva would laugh were their lives not in peril, but at the moment she could only pull him up and yell at him to do _some_thing and do it _better_.

As if her insults had been an idea, Link bade her stand back and slipped into the Boots. Grabbing the chains again before they could slip away, he held them and stood in place. Still unaware, clutching at his forehead, Darbus moved forward and fell on his flaming belly.

Darbus groaned, attempting to rise, but Link continued to pull on his ankles. Even as a monster, however, he understood what caused his immobility and turned, still on his stomach. A wrist-chain was whipped at the Iron Boots, wrapping around them and pulling Link from under his feet. His head hit the ground with a clunk.

Maeva didn't know why she was suddenly alarmed – she had always wanted to defeat a great monster alone, though before this the great monster had been Zant and his god. Link was out cold and Gale was injured, surely. Well, she thought, shaking herself out of the momentary lapse in what should have been complete focus, now was her chance. Climbing a remaining pillar that brought her as high as the monster's stomach, she aimed arrows at Darbus as he got to his feet. It was a coward's tactic, she knew, but this was for a greater purpose than enslaving the realm of light.

Darbus howled at each arrow that managed to pierce his crystal, stopping only every so often to pull them out. The attacks weakened him visibly, but he struggled forward, relentless in his pursuit to destroy. This must have been the way of the people possessed by the shadows – or perhaps it spoke multitudes of the shadows themselves, but she couldn't brood about that _now_! Through the corner of her eye, Maeva thought she saw something swirling around Link's body, but she kept her gaze and arrows on the monster.

Darbus was close, now, not less than two bodies near, and very slow, weak. Still, he raised his arm in a familiar gesture – Dangoro – but she was faster. Only a few arrows more and he would fall, but he was swinging his fiery fist down and surely, as though death called to her, she would die if it made contact with her head – yet Maeva fired, one last shot that determined their fate.

It hadn't been death calling to her. It had been Link.

He tackled Maeva as soon as he woke to Gale's screams and harsh winds, knocking her off the ruined column and landing in one of the rubble piles. His head was spinning, but he caught hers in his arms before they hit the debris.

Uncurling from each other, Link and Maeva watched in awe as Darbus howled again, one last time, before the flames on his suddenly frozen body died and a natural light filled the room from – somewhere. The crystal, still in one piece, removed itself from his forehead and fell to the side before turning into a familiar form of heart-shaped glass: a heart container.

Darbus fell to the ground only when the shadows released him, bursting into small pieces filling the room. No one breathed until in one fell swoop, the shadows merged into a broken piece of the Fused Shadows.

Maeva felt the weight remove itself from her and it dawned on her that the weight had been Link. She grimaced – how hadn't she felt extreme discomfort at the contact? Briefly stealing a glimpse at his flushed face, she rose with only a rattled growl and approached Darbus. He was unconscious, but his skin had returned to its natural yellow and gray. The tattoos on his body numbered almost as much as the creases on his rocky exterior.

She could do nothing for him and so turned her attention instead on the boomerang, which Link had left on the ground in his rush to – her, Maeva supposed. The thought gave her discomfort, at least. That had been unnecessary, and that he thought he should save her was…irritating. Yes.

"Gale? Are you – all right?" The words felt foreign on her lips in the same sentence as the Fairy of Winds.

Ooccoo and Ooccoo Junior flew into the chamber, thanking Link for opening the doors. "Gracious! Look at this mess… Are you all right, dear?" she asked Gale, catching Maeva's kneeling figure beside the boomerang immediately. Mothers had an eye for such things.

"Gale!" Ooccoo Junior cried, landing on his mother's head. "You're okay, right?"

Gale stirred, a soft breeze blowing Maeva's hair just out of her face. "I'm all right," she answered, a small laugh in her high-pitched voice. "Just tired. I haven't had a rush like that since—well, in ages!"

"That anyone comes to harm – this shouldn't be the way," Maeva muttered so quietly that any companion not accustomed to her mumbling would think she spoke to herself. It was her responsibility, or Link's, very _well_, to take those blows.

"It's part of being an adventurer, right?" said Gale, her tone taking on the kind she used on Ooccoo Junior for a moment, before she paused and it became snoopy, almost scandalous. "Are you _worried_ about me, Maeva?"

Ooccoo glanced at her, red eyes just as shocked. "Oh, how sweet of you! I didn't think—"

"Of course I wasn't worried," she huffed. Maeva hadn't asked out of _concern_ – Gale had done the same for her, earlier, waking her when she had nearly drowned. She was only returning the care due of her. The others watched her doubtfully. How dare they – when had she ever lied in a manner that would bring harm upon them? Getting to her feet, she narrowed her eyes at them all before stalking off to the Fused Shadow.

It was a sad attempt at leaving them, since they followed suit immediately after. Midna floated beside the Fused Shadow, tracing its carvings before embracing it into herself. When she faced them again, she did so with a pleased smile. If Link hadn't known her, he would have thought it a wicked one. He liked to think he knew better.

"You know," she said, her eyes flickering to Link, Gale, Ooccoo and her son, "you've been very helpful so far. As a reward, I'll tell you an interesting story."

Gale and Ooccoo, though already chattering loudly, hushed and turned their eyes to the imp. Maeva wasn't certain how she should feel about it – that even in this form, she could command an audience.

"Zant."

"Zant?" Ooccoo Junior repeated, seeing Maeva's lip curl at the word.

"That's the name of the King of Darkness who cast this pall of shadows over your world. He's very strong. You," she said to Link with a bitter tone, "would be nothing to him in your current state."

"Comforting," Maeva muttered. Link thought much the same, but waited for her to continue.

Midna's flaming hair, still shaped into a fist, clenched at her tone. Maeva quickly lowered her gaze. "But Zant will never be my king!" she exclaimed, the resentment in her eyes – much more than what it seemed, the women in the party knew. As though she could read their minds, she bore her gaze into theirs, declaring, "I have nothing but scorn for his supposed strength.

"Not that your Zelda is much better," she added, glancing at Link again. "It still appalls me to think that this world of light is controlled by that princess. A carefree youth, a life of luxury – how does that teach duty?"

Maeva raised her eyes a little. "You speak too ill of her. She—"

"I wasn't finished," Midna sharply interjected. "I know I shouldn't begrudge her the circumstances of her life. She didn't choose it, after all, and I wouldn't wish harm upon her." She frowned at Maeva. "No, as long as I can get my hands on the Fused Shadows, I'll be just fine.

"Well, just one more left," she said, suddenly agreeably patronizing again. Waving her tiny hands, Midna moved the debris away, revealing a black portal with clover etchings that matched her skin. "Shall we? Eee hee hee! Collect the heart container and let's go!"

"Wow," Gale remarked. "I knew there were shadows, but I didn't know about this Zant. She really…sounded like she hated him."

"Zant stole much from—" Maeva cleared her throat. "From Midna. But that isn't your business."

"I wasn't _asking_," Gale huffed. "Really, it's hard to believe that you were just inquiring about my health earlier!"

Maeva shrugged. She glanced at Link, whose eyebrows were furrowed – at least until he noticed her. Smiling, he approached the heart container and beckoned the others. "Come on. We've aided Darbus."

The heart container was solid and liquid, too cold to the point of being hot all over again, and the party divided the spoils of their adventure among them as they reached into it together. It had been a tiring morning, however, and it was not enough to bring them out of the lull they had fallen into, especially after Midna's depressing story. As though he echoed their sentiments, a waking Darbus groaned, capturing their attention.

"Urgh…What am I doing here?" he asked, his voice the most gravelly of the Gorons. "Unngh, my head aches…" Closest to him, he saw Link first. "What happened, human?"

"The elders might explain it better, patriarch," Link answered. "We can accompany you back, if you wish."

Darbus seemed shocked that he would offer to help, but politely shook his head. "No, thank you." He glanced at the rest of the creatures in the ruined chamber and saw their ancient treasure strapped behind a human female's back. Dangoro would never have surrendered it willingly, and they seemed peaceful enough. "You must have much to do…though I… I cannot remember anything."

Nodding as if to reaffirm his sentiments, Darbus lumbered out of the chamber and dove into the water outside, taking no notice of the portal he had nearly stepped into. Moments later, the party disappeared into the cold darkness and climbed out into Kakariko Village, right before the light of Eldin's spring.

"What a relief!" said Ooccoo, landing in the water and paddling about with her cucco legs, enjoying the midday breeze on her hairless head. "Oh, to be outside again! Don't you agree, Junior, dear?"

"I thought…" Ooccoo Junior glanced at Maeva and Link. "What did you think, Maeva?"

The outside seemed too cool now, in Maeva's opinion. She wasn't going to run the risk of discovering that it was due to the same reason Midna's portals didn't give her shivers, however, and only said, "I thought—"

"Heroic Link," Eldin's voice interrupted. Maeva clamped her mouth shut. The light spirit unfurled itself to reveal its owl form. "North of here, across the plain and past the great stone bridge, in the lands guarded by the spirit Lanayru… You shall find the one you seek."

"Thank you," said Link, inclining his head slowly.

Eldin mimicked the gesture. For a split second, Maeva was certain the spirit was looking straight at her – she could feel its large eyes, filled with hope, examining her form and acknowledging her presence. As soon as it granted its gaze, however, it took it away, and returned its attention to Link. None of the light spirits had ever looked at her before. "Have a care."

Eldin returned to its rest. Maeva knew she didn't have to think of what it meant by its last statement. It had been referring to her. Try as she might, despite what she had told Link and the rest of the villagers of Kakariko, she couldn't convince Eldin that she was anything but one of the creatures that could have enslaved it had Zant not attempted to enslave her first.

"Well," said Link, turning to their companions fawning over Eldin's beauty, "I guess we know where we're going next."

"Link…!"

Ah. Maeva had wondered when his adoring fans would notice his return, but was pleasantly surprised to hear Colin's voice. The blond boy walked slowly out of Renado's hut, the rest of the children waiting behind him. Beth and Luda reached for but barely touched his elbows, ready to support him if ever he fell. What a difference from days ago, when the other Ordonian children had pushed past him and shoved him down to go to Link, and even Malo hadn't moved to aid him.

"We've aided the Goron tribe of Death Mountain," Link told them with a smile.

"That's wonderful…So…now you can save Ilia," said Colin. "Those monsters left me with the other kids, but they must have taken her somewhere else… Whenever I thought I couldn't go on, I would think of you and Ilia and hold on, Link. Remember what I told you before? When I grow up, I want to be just like you. You don't have to worry about me anymore, Link." The boy was passionate in his speech. "Go help Ilia!"

Link's square shoulders stiffened as he approached Colin. If only it were that easy. "We'll save her, Colin. I promise."

Renado, having followed the children out of his home, stepped forward, placing a hand on Luda's and Colin's shoulders. "Leave the children to me. I will watch over them – I swear it.

"In Hyrule, countless tales are told of the ancient hero…and your deeds bring them all to mind," said the shaman, looking not only to Link but to Maeva, Ooccoo, and her son as well. Gale was resting in Link's Pocket. "Stay the night in Kakariko; rest. And then…as I presume you will, go to the aid of those who need you."

Renado bowed to them. The children saw and emulated him, one by one.

"Oh," Ooccoo remarked, wiping a tear with her wings. "I'm so honored!"

Maeva inclined her head in reply, silent as pride rushed through her and filled her with…content. For the moment, at least. No one had bowed to her in what seemed like ages. That her actions should remind Renado of the ancient Hero of lore – well, they were Link's actions, too, she supposed. But she was a part of this. Part of her, somewhere, was also a hero.

…

A celebration was in order, and the Goron tribe of Death Mountain carried it out with great enthusiasm. Soon after the return of their muddled patriarch, the elders came out of their altars and declared that since they had turned their backs on their neighbors in Kakariko during their time of need, it was time to make it up to them. No sooner than Gor Amoto suggested it did Gor Liggs and Gor Ebizo – an even skinnier Goron with an even more hunched back, but whose zest was matched only by Gor Liggs – volunteer to assemble a group that would pull Kakariko back to its feet.

And feast, of course, Gor Liggs had said with a meaningful grin on his foam green lips.

Torch slugs were a delicacy in the Eldin Province, provided one could snuff them out long enough to hunt them. The Gorons brought crates of them, skinned and ready to be cooked, as well as material for Barnes to create more bombs that Gor Amoto had personally picked out, and rocks, of course. The Gorons loved rocks. (Ooccoo Junior still wondered why.)

When the Gorons arrived, apologies were made and soon, preparations for the feast that would take place in the evening. Darbus would have come, himself, but was still recovering and overseeing the vanquishing of the monsters that had too comfortably taken refuge in their territory. Aided by Barnes and Link, most of the Gorons thought of fortifications to prepare for future attacks, while Beth, Luda, Renado, Ooccoo and Gale joined together and cooked other dishes for the feast.

Gale and Ooccoo attempted to coerce her into joining them while Beth stressed the importance of knowing how to cook for one's future husband. She glanced at Colin, sitting with Epona and resting, when she said this; Luda followed her gaze and pursed her lips, clearly bothered. But Maeva was unaware of how to cook _fine_ food; the only meals she had ever made for herself were animals she'd desperately hunted and roasted over a fire while searching for Zant and Midna. Those had all tasted gray – she hated meat and the necessity of it. Thankfully, Talo, Malo and two Goron boys who had begged to come to Kakariko stole her from the females and an amused Renado and _whined_ until she taught them how to use a bow. (Malo was an exception; he was only there to watch, of course, furthering her theory of his being an old soul.)

Link joyfully gave his permission to use the bow from Fado, since the Hero's Bow was Maeva's for the time being – Gor Ebizo bade them keep it until they completed their endeavors. Maeva had refused to let them touch the ancient treasures, of course, and reluctantly surrendered the Bow and Quiver to Link for safekeeping in his Pocket, because Talo and the Goron boys were extremely rowdy and were not silenced by her slight glares. (She tried not to scare them too much. They were children, after all; but she would soon learn that children in the light realm were much less affected than a slightly older girl's exasperated expression than those from her realm.) They attempted to steal it from her until Link offered to keep them safe.

How had he even known she was having a difficult time with the children? He was all the way across the village surrounded by hulking Gorons. Sometimes he could be so infuriating.

Always. She meant always.

In any case, Ooccoo Junior tasked himself to retrieve their arrows, and while teaching them was an exercise that tested her patience, Maeva found herself enjoying the moments when the children managed to pierce the targets Malo and Junior set up around the village. They kept at this until the sun set, when they could no longer see without light. Maeva thanked the goddesses they couldn't, too, as she was eager to start dinner. Caring for children was certainly a task; that afternoon, she gained a newfound respect for the adults of Ordon Village, though reservedly for Hanch.

The celebration was planned for Renado's hut, but it was too snug with everyone inside. Upon Malo's suggestion, they settled for circling a great bonfire instead, which kept them warm in the chilly evening atmosphere. After Gor Liggs and Gor Ebizo gave enthusiastic speeches thanking the remaining villagers of Kakariko for accepting their friendship again and swearing to desert them in their time of need nevermore, the feast began.

Renado sat with the Gorons who'd aided with reparations, discussing plans to revive the hot spring and mining excursions. Although apprehensive at first, Barnes grew to enjoy the company of Gale and Ooccoo, who displayed an engaging interest in his bombs. Malo was talking business with Gor Ebizo and Gor Liggs, though Maeva supposed she shouldn't be surprised by his acumen concerning takeovers and profits and other things that were not to her interest.

Link sat beside her. It unnerved her, but if that was his intention then she certainly wouldn't let him see it! Maeva couldn't understand why he had to choose the space between her and Luda; there was a perfectly comfortable space between Renado and Malo, after all, or Barnes and the Goron children.

In any case, he wasn't given the chance to vex her. As soon as he sat down, Colin, Talo, Beth, Luda, Ooccoo Junior and the Goron children swarmed him and begged him to tell them how he defeated King Bulblin. (Despite their fear of his appearance at first, the other children eventually befriended Ooccoo Junior, and were extremely jealous that he was a part of Link's adventures.)

"Sure thing. But…" Link crossed his legs and placed his hands on his knees. Glancing back at her, he grinned. She knew she had spoken too soon. "I'm going to need some help telling it."

Talo squeezed himself beside Maeva and Gor Liggs, who looked up from his own conversation and scooted away. Beaming up at her, he exclaimed, "Oh, yeah! You were there, too, weren't you, Maeva?"

"I am—not adept at storytelling," Maeva shook her head. "He can tell a good story by himself, I'm sure."

"Maeva protected Epona when the bulblins were shooting flaming arrows at her," Link said anyway. Yes, Maeva remembered, after much yelling. "You should see her with a bow."

"We have, she taught us to use a bow and arrow earlier!" one of the Goron children said impatiently. "Start the story, please!"

Link chuckled and did so. Of course, Maeva thought, he would change details about how it had happened. Such as his yelling. And her failure to retaliate against the bulblin's attacks before his yelling. This was another act of his – besides the Mayor act. For a simple ranch hand, he certainly could lie better than she, once a power in political circles, could. But his way of telling the story was entertaining; she begrudged him that, and she almost liked hearing his Storyteller voice.

Almost. Maeva had sat back, switching her gaze between a gesticulating Link and his captivated audience. Her mind flickered to the memory that Zant had also been a wonderful storyteller. He paced everything just right, knew how to deliver so that the story built up until the audience held its breath at the climax. That was a part of him that enraptured Midna, she believed.

Midna. Maeva's eyes flickered to the bonfire, and then the shadows of the people surrounding it. They were still, dancing only to the rhythm of the flames when a stronger breeze blew. But Link's swayed to its own beat, and if anybody looked close enough as Bo had, they would see that hers did, too. It was something even Zant's god couldn't change.

Midna was trapped in Link's shadow for the time being, as exposing herself would only frighten the villagers and the Gorons. Maeva hadn't enjoyed any meal this way since she, Midna, Zant and the others had dined together that last night, before she followed him into his god's portal and it was all over. Today, she had earned the honor of the Gorons by aiding Darbus, though according to Gor Liggs, the patriarch had no recollection of it. Maeva told herself that she shouldn't deny herself the pleasure, but if Midna couldn't take part in this – despite having been the reason their party even came to Death Mountain – because of what she was, then neither should she.

For the rest of the night, Maeva sat back and kept to herself.

Before anybody knew it, the celebration was over and most of them were more than willing to turn in. Their great fire was smaller now, and many had surrendered to sleep. The Gorons carried their sleeping to the Inn while Renado and Gor Ebizo – who was much stronger than he looked – brought Talo and Barnes, respectively, to the former's hut.

Beth and Luda were collecting plates when Link, rising languidly, approached them. "Let me."

"Oh, no need, Link! We can take care of this," Beth replied, turning away so he couldn't reach for the plates. "Go ahead and rest."

"Beth is right. You have earned it," said Luda, her voice soft compared to Beth's naturally commanding tone.

Gor Liggs sauntered by with a sleeping baby in his arms. Although the elder was certain Malo was the wisest of his age, the boy still possessed the body of a child. "Maeva would help you!" he called out, inclining his head in the direction of a girl sprawled beside two oocca and a boomerang. "Won't you?"

Having barely been speaking with a still chattering Ooccoo and Gale, Maeva lifted her head from the ground to glare at whoever had mentioned her name. When she met eyes with the elder Goron, however, she straightened up. Standing with a well-concealed sigh, she asked, "Hmm?"

Gor Liggs grinned. "You…would not allow Beth and Luda to carry out all the work, would you?"

Maeva glanced at the two girls, watching her while carrying all the plates. Washing the dishes, he meant? She still didn't appreciate anybody volunteering her help, but she supposed they were younger and decided she rather liked the gratitude in their expressions when she gave a slight nod. "…Of course not." To the girls, she said, "You need rest. I…see the sleep in your eyes."

"N-No, we will still help," Luda argued, rushing towards the kitchen behind Renado's hut with Beth, Link and Maeva on their heels. Before they parted ways, Gor Liggs gave her a wink. Maeva would never understand him.

"Girls," Link called when the two placed the dishes beside tubs of water. His voice was almost commanding, like when they saved Colin, but much gentler. He was only awful to _her_. If Maeva felt somewhat foolish thinking such a thing, she hid it even from herself. "You're going to fall asleep washing dishes. Leave this to us."

"B-But…" Beth shook her head vigorously. "You're even more tired, Link! You saved the Goron tribe!"

Link smiled. "Your eyelids are drooping. Come on. Your beds are just around the front."

"Beth? Luda?" a boy's voice came from the door. Standing stiffly, the girls turned around, their fatigued attempts at smiles replaced with eager ones. Colin stepped into the kitchen and waved at Link and Maeva before saying, "Um…Renado was looking for you. We should probably go to sleep now…you too, Link and Maeva."

"Colin's right," said Beth.

"Yes," Luda agreed. "We can finish in the morning."

"It's all right," Link said, guiding them to the door by the shoulders. "Go on. We'll see you tomorrow before we leave."

"Well…okay. Good night," said Colin, smiling at them both and beckoning to Beth and Luda. The girls bade them the same before breathlessly, hastily following the boy.

When they were out of sight, Link glanced at Maeva. She had already begun at their task, scrubbing the dirt off the dish she was holding with vigor he hadn't expected, given that only moments ago, she was so exhausted as to be willing to roll her eyes at a Gor Liggs. He noticed there was always an intensity to everything she did; firing with a bow, of course, and searching for Tears of Light, but even with day-to-day activities she was ardent. She ate as though it would be her last meal, spoke with haste as though they would die at any moment, and walked with such purpose that he wondered what it could be.

Searching for Fused Shadows, obviously. But she and Midna still kept many a secret from their party. Why was Midna the only shadow being that dared stand up against Zant, and how did she enlist Maeva's help? How did Princess Zelda fit into their relationship? It was too late in the evening to think of these things; his temples hurt doing so, and nothing cleared his mind like manual labor. Sitting down and taking his own batch of dishes, he watched Maeva clean plates with zeal that made him grin. He wondered what would make her simmer down every once in a while, when they actually could.

"What?" Link returned to his senses and caught Maeva's frown. She scratched her forehead with the dry back of her wrist and asked, "Why are you looking at me?"

"I—I wasn't looking at you," he saved, giving her a smile that probably infuriated her. Link wasn't yet certain what made Maeva tick, exactly, but he knew that his frowning silenced her in a way that appeared to frighten her (and he didn't like that), while smiling seemed to irritate her in a way that only made him grin even more.

"Oh." Maeva narrowed her eyes back to her task. It surprised him so, whenever she spoke cordially, but she never disappointed – a few seconds later, she was glaring at him again. "But I saw your eyes. Don't think I didn't see you. Are you – so curious about my markings?"

Her markings? To be honest, Link had been extremely curious about them in the beginning, but the questions in his mind faded over the days they had spent traveling together. Zant had given her the markings, he understood now, and would pay for doing so. He had grown so accustomed to them, however, that he barely even noticed them when he looked at her. Link would tell her as much, but he figured she would manage to find a way to turn his words against him.

"What is that?" Maeva reached out when he didn't reply and slapped his left hand with the back of her own. His fingers buzzed at the touch, but Link was too bewildered at her sudden closeness to register it. "Are those blisters?"

"Uh—" The hero berated himself inwardly. He'd hidden them all afternoon successfully.

"From staving off the Gorons," Maeva grumbled.

Link wondered how she felt about them as he returned to his washing. "They should heal after a while."

"Tch," was Maeva's reply. If he wanted to keep it to himself again, it wasn't her business. Now she felt foolish for even asking! She didn't even know why she'd asked. The…proof that he wasn't invincible…that was it. She was only searching for that.

Link tried not to extend the smile he kept at the annoyed twitch of Maeva's eyebrows. "Anyway, I – just wanted to thank you for helping with the dishes, that's all."

Maeva blinked at his gratitude. She must not have received a lot of it, ever, because she was always shocked when anybody thanked her. He took enjoyment in her surprise, too. She seemed like the type who was hardly surprised, but she'd proven him wrong on many occasions.

"Don't – don't flatter yourself," she said when she recovered, huffing and pursing her lips like she always did. "I'm only…because…Gor Liggs offered my help. But then I suppose…"

Maeva supposed it wasn't the hero's way, since Link did it willingly, didn't he?

When had she come to see Link's way and the hero's way as one?

Frowning deeply, Maeva scrubbed the dishes even harder.

Link watched her oddly, wondering what could have upset her, but Maeva was prone to things like this. He still pondered on what she could have been thinking about inside the Goron Mines, standing so close to the magma. In any case, it was too soon to ask how she and Midna came to know each other. "Maeva, where did you learn to use a bow?"

Without looking up, she answered, "I was trained to fight and defend myself in my youth. Using such a weapon was a part of it. Something I excelled at; but we've already spoken of this."

Link cringed at how well she could kill a conversation.

Maeva glanced up at the silence. She'd expected him to ask another thing to break her concentration on their task (perhaps so that he might reach her number of dishes washed), but he didn't. It was curious. Her self-control was certainly slipping because – she didn't know why she wanted him to continue speaking, but – she was about to ask him where he learned to use a sword, being a ranch hand.

Without knowing it, however, Link spoke ahead. "I can teach you how to swim."

Maeva frowned at the interruption that was not quite an interruption that didn't actually quite aggravate her, but she knew it must have been the sleep. Any other day, she was certain, any other moment, it _would_ have annoyed her. "Wh-What did you say? I—I don't need—it isn't—"

Link had almost forgotten Maeva's pride. She was almost like the Gorons, in that it clearly pained her to admit to needing his help. Actually, she was like the Goron tribe in many ways, but he wouldn't tell her that. Before she could stop sputtering and say something that would injure any other person, he added, "If you teach me how to use a bow and arrow."

An exchange. Maeva didn't want to owe Link anything, but – to bear the knowledge that he'd needed her at some point – it appealed to her. Smirking, she replied, "Very well."

He grinned. "Great!"

Maeva squinted her eyes. Infuriating…

Link only turned away, the smile widening on his mouth.

* * *

><p>I HATE DUNGEONS. Let me just reiterate that. And I know there were no bulblins encountered in this chapter even if there were bulblins in the Goron Mines...honestly, I don't know how they would get past the Beamos statues. (I also hated those things.)<p>

Anyway, I love this chapter! Not because of my writing (which was not at its best, I know, and unfortunately it doesn't get all that better in the next one, because I'm swamped with schoolwork, though I know I know it shouldn't be an excuse :(() but because if you look _**insaaaaanely closely**_, like really squint your eyes to the point of ruining them (probably), you could guess at a lot of the story's future events. Or secrets. Whatever. I don't know what to call them. Hence the title. (Get it? Because fate entails what'll happen in the future...? NEVER MIND I'M SO CORNY)

Bragging rights if you can guess correctly! Not that I'll tell you through the next chapter if you do; I'll probably just PM you that you got something HEHE. ANYWAY.

**James Birdsong**: Thank youuuu! Again :)

**AnimeFreak2306**: Gahhhh! Thank you! I'm not saying I'm better than dmc87 or anything since it's all a matter of opinion, like you said, but to be compared, especially given that I loved Twilight Child and Sparks is...WOW. Thank you. :D You're right, I don't like when everything is too depressing either! I try to lighten the mood sometimes, though I'm not always sure if the humor's in the right place :)) Thank you though!

**PerrierLaMer**: Hahaha! Gale is a fairy so I think she is just meant to be irrrrritating. I'm touched that you'd squee! :)) Do you know the game Tales of Vesperia? I have a favorite fic there that just makes me sooo happy when it updates. I was in the school library once when I checked my mail and saw the alert XD So yeah I know what you mean. Haha sorry for rambling. I also want a talking birdy hat :c (would be creepy if you went to the bathroom and forgot to take it off though... XD)

**Taz1995**: Bo had to figure it out haha! When going over the story for things to revise for this story, dmc87 and I agreed that someone from Ordon besides Rusl should have a brain XD I'm happy you like Maeva! And the Fado part, too. I just thought he shouldn't be stuck in his own little world at the ranch all the time, staring into space :))

**JimmyDAN2j**: YES! YEEEES YES YES he was implying just that :)) I was so hoping someone would notice hahaha! You're not being stupid at all. Thank youuu for saying that about Maeva heehee! Although I'm sure we've all gone through a situation where we don't like someone and gradually realize that they don't quite displease us as they used to (not that Link has stopped being a cause for Maeva's 'irritation' haha). Gosh the Iron Boots and the platforms were sooo awkwardddd to write! Although Maeva's not s'bad with Death Mountain, since she doesn't know how to feel about the place despite the heat. I really don't understand how Link could move around in the game with all that sweat :| By the way! Gale's having a personality/any speaking parts at all was dmc87's idea from the original story :) Phew! That was long :))

Thanks sooo much for reviewing, everyone! :D You are all sexier, as promised!

REVIEW. Again! Pretty pony for each review! : (Let me just say, I used to love My Little Pony SO. MUCH. Also your reviews seriously inspire me to write faster. I know that is totally douchey but it's the truth. If you didn't review I would still update, yes, but I would update very sadly. Yes.) See you again soon! Hopefully :'(


	5. Fanning the flames

Helloooooo! Contrary to popular belief, I am still alive! Sorry, school took more of my time than expected...and laziness. That seriously took a toll on my writing. So I'm sorry. I don't know when the next update will be, but I really will try to pump it out soon. It's just that it's very difficult to keep writing straight, especially when you don't know which words to use - which is stupid coming from me since I don't use a variety of words that much, but...yeah. I just hope I can write the next one soon.

Anyway, thank you still so much for the reviews, favorites, and alerts. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>My Way<strong>

Chapter 5: Fanning the flames

"May the graces of the goddesses who shaped Hyrule bear you on your way."

Renado's parting words that early morning were both comforting and ominous to Maeva, who knew their way would become only more perilous soon. They drove closer to the last Fused Shadow, and the last province in Hyrule trapped in Zant's Twilight. Was he – or his god – wise to their progress? If they were, now was the time to stop their party. As Epona galloped out of the rocky mountain ranges of Kakariko, through the ancient ruins in northern Hyrule field where they could still spot parts of King Bulblin's ruined armor, Maeva kept her eyes to the sky, awaiting Zant's descent with a trembling grip on her staff.

The portal lined with red etchings detailing his doctrine appeared when they stopped after the bridge where King Bulblin had fallen off. It wasn't Zant, however; only three shadow beasts, bounding at them with seasoned haste. Seemingly in exchange for their arrival, the portal took away majority of Eldin bridge, rendering them unable to return to Kakariko for the time being, should they wish it. It was too far a distance for Ooccoo Junior to teleport across, too.

The party had been eating a late lunch packed by Beth and Luda, then. The oocca loved corn, apparently, though Link was attempting to convince Ooccoo Junior that carrots were just as tasty. Maeva would have interrupted and said that out of all the food they'd been given, the strawberries were the tangiest green she'd ever tasted, when she felt his Twilight and reached for the nearest weapon – her staff was encumbering when she sat, so she'd foolishly tossed it beside Epona, leaving her with only – Gale.

"How?" Midna demanded angrily, jumping out from Epona's shadow and watched the shadow beasts approach. "How could he have known we were here?"

"No time," said Maeva, propelling herself forward with Gale in hand. Having just placed Ooccoo and her son on Epona and sending them some distance away, Link was still fumbling for his sword. "Gale, rope them together!"

"Understood!"

Gale spun forward, meeting the unsuspecting beasts with a strong tornado that trapped them in a circle. Once she saw Maeva with an arrow and a bowstring between her fingertips, she released the air and watched the beasts fall successively, each with a cringe-worthy snarl.

"We did it!" Gale giggled when she returned to Maeva's grasp. "Great job, Maeva!"

Pumping with adrenaline, the sweat catching up with her only then, Maeva fell to a crouch and nodded. "You too, Gale."

Gale would have acted in surprise had Midna, shadows trailing behind her, not flown past them to banish the shadow beasts back inside the portal, whose etchings shifted to green and spoke of their defiance of Zant's will. When the imp was finished, she darted back to the party, where Link was just about to congratulate Gale and Maeva.

"It's this!" Midna said, picking up Maeva's staff with her hair – protected by ink black shadows – and throwing it at the girl's feet. "That's what that traitor is using to track us! I told you to get rid of that, didn't I?"

Maeva picked up the staff protectively and hid it behind her. "But…no. When that god of his crafted it – it separated from his consciousness – and he told me it was mine alone, a gift to keep my loyalty, I'm certain. He must have felt us because his Twilight is _nearby_!"

Midna rubbed a hand over her small face and groaned. "And you continue to believe him? That _god_? You're more of an idiot than I thought!"

"Now, now—" Gale started.

"Let's not fight," Ooccoo agreed. "We've just escaped one of those shadows. Surely none will come, for now."

Midna's eyes darted from Ooccoo and Gale's reasonable expressions, to Junior's frightened eyes and Link's curious gaze, then landed on Maeva, defiant as she had ever seen her – which wasn't saying much, but how dare she! After all that had happened... "Fine. But if that pretender…" She didn't finish her sentence, only grunting and diving back into Epona's shadow. The horse whinnied as though a heavy weight had dropped on her saddle.

Link glanced at Maeva. "What…"

"Let's _go_," she replied, packing their food and mounting Epona herself. Well, attempted to.

The rest of the day was spent riding in silence; even Ooccoo Junior, usually oblivious to the true reasons behind Maeva's sour mood, could feel the storm brewing over her head. The plains eventually rolled up with hills and copses of scattered trees among which small groups of bulblins still operated, but they were dealt with swiftly. Epona was intelligent and never forgot those who'd done her kindness or those who'd hurt her. The mare didn't spare a moment of hesitation before trampling them with her heavy hooves.

Dinner was served under the protection of a large rock shaped like a frown, and the next time Epona stopped was before a great wall of hazy Twilight surrounded by hills made all of rock.

"This is it," Link said, removing his shield as he approached the wall. He could see Hyrule Castle in the distance. He'd once dreamt of seeing it, but not like this.

"Don't be too hasty," Maeva snapped, taking his shield from him and stuffing it back in his arms. "We'll rest here and enter the Twilight come morning."

"Right," Midna agreed, sidling up beside them from Link's shadow. She had calmed down somewhere along the way. Link knew because Epona had started to gallop faster again, and Midna shifted to his shadow carrying little anger. "None of you are any use to anybody tired, after all," she giggled.

They set up camp further away from the border that greatly agitated Epona. Gale, Ooccoo and her son, exhausted from the task of keeping themselves quiet that day fell asleep quickly, with Midna herself sleeping in the peaceful shadow of Ooccoo Junior's innocence.

Maeva was still up, staring at the white flower in her pouch. Still alive. Even through the Twilight it had lived, and in the extreme heat of Death Mountain, too. She had never met such a persistent life form. Did that female monkey know this, and give her the flower to inspire her throughout the journey? It was a nice thought, and Maeva desired to see her again, though she smelled none too pleasant and they couldn't quite understand each other, if only to show gratitude.

Perhaps Link knew something. He lived close to the Forest Temple, after all, so he must know something of the flora in the nearby provinces. Maeva glanced to her left, where the hero had propped himself up against one of the pillows packed in his Pocket. He was already asleep.

Well. She hadn't really wanted to ask him anything, anyway. That would mean having to listen to him talk and seeing him smile!

Sparing herself the _pain_, Maeva turned her back on his peaceful figure and forced sleep to come.

Morning came, but she hardly noticed. As soon as dawn struck, Midna hurried their meals with a constant stream of words beings of the light realm would never understand – giggling derisively all the while – and ordered Link to go prepare in front of the Twilight's border while Maeva packed their things with Epona.

"What are you waiting for?" Maeva asked when Link didn't move upon Midna's orders. He watched her expectantly. "Leave your things by the border. I'll keep the Pocket for the time being."

Link nodded before shooting the others a smile. "I'll see you soon, guys."

"Take care, Link!" Ooccoo and Gale called after him. Ooccoo Junior was still asleep.

"Are you certain you'll be all right, Maeva, dear?" Ooccoo asked when Link was gone. "Lanayru province is much larger than the others we've passed so far."

"I agree," said Gale. "You've seen yourself that I can be useful."

"Don't." Maeva shook her head irritably. "Don't you understand? You would turn into spirits, unaware of my presence, or Midna's, or Link's. We've already talked about this…"

"Oh, Maeva," Gale's voice was uneven. "Are you actually, _really_ worried about us this time? How—"

"_No_," Maeva groaned, but it was half-hearted. "You know I don't like repeating myself! We've been companions for _days_. Surely you know this…"

Ooccoo glanced at Gale, and if the boomerang possessed a head with facial features, she would return the oocca's knowing expression. "If you say so, dear. We'll wait here until you lift the Twilight."

Maeva grunted her acceptance, though she knew by Ooccoo's tone that she wasn't being taken seriously. This time, she would let it pass. "Fare well. Don't do anything foolish – like attract bulblins or bokoblins."

"Don't do anything stupid like die," Gale replied.

Maeva couldn't help the twitching of her lips into an almost grin. It was a good thing she had already turned her back on them, or they might have seen it and acted even more surprised and poked fun at her. Maeva didn't like their shock, whenever she acted cordially towards them. So she didn't always find them extremely, hair-tearingly aggravating; was that so difficult to believe?

"Right," she muttered, allowing the last of Gale's wind to carry her voice to them, before leaving to follow Link and Midna into the Twilight.

"About time," Midna drawled when she arrived, patting a wolf-Link on the head. "I was just telling Link here how this is the last of the Twilight he'll ever see…maybe! It all depends on him, doesn't it?"

Maeva felt a pang in her chest she hadn't quite felt like cultivating since they saved Colin, and instinctively glared at Link. His eyes seemed steelier when he was a wolf, however, and she turned away just as swiftly. "Yes," she answered. Midna had meant to word things like that. Nothing she said was ever without reason. "I suppose it is."

Midna only grinned and urged Link to go on further. Maeva followed, sticking close to the wolf under the shadows of the tall mounds of rock that led out into more open fields of trees and shrubberies spread out on plains, only littered with Twilit bulblins. Right as they exited the pass, however, Maeva tripped over something soft hidden in the tall grass and fell on her elbows.

She propped herself up, ignoring Midna's sigh and Link's curious gaze, and instead focused her negative energies on whatever had caused her embarrassment.

It was a tiny pouch, smaller even than hers. Leather, certainly old, but well-made. She raised in the air and frowned. Link approached, tilting his wolf head at it before his eyes widened, his body stiffening.

"What is it?" asked Maeva, staring at the bag curiously. She reached into it and found nothing, however. A thief must have looted its contents already.

"You smell the girl, don't you?" Midna moved to float before Link and crossed her arms. "I can tell by the look on your face. But this scent's probably old. I wonder if she's still all right?" She punctuated the question with a giggle.

Ilia. That was the girl's name. For some reason, Maeva felt disturbed that she should be so nearby, and was comforted by Midna's patronizing question. It wasn't something she understood, herself.

"There it is – Hyrule Castle," said Maeva, to distract both Link and herself. "The town surrounding it isn't much better."

"We've finally made it back here!" Midna giggled, arms akimbo as though proud. "But it's only going to get harder from here on out. Are you ready?"

Link gave a vigorous nod.

Midna raised a challenging eye ridge at Maeva, who shrugged. "All right, then…let's get started. Go!"

Link sprang off as ordered, veering off the road on several occasions. Just as well, in Maeva's opinion. Many Twilit bulblins guarded the road with their flaming arrows. Did King Bulblin know about this? She remembered that part of their contract consisted of Zant promising never to force a bulblin under the influence of the Twilight, but he wasn't one to keep his word, anyway. Let the lord of the bulblins find out for himself.

Midna's frown indicated that she knew Link was following Ilia's scent instead of searching for a light spirit, but what surprised Maeva was that she allowed it. When Midna set herself to a task, she couldn't be deterred. This was certainly new. Was it because – Link was the chosen hero? Was this why she gave him leeway? There was that pang in her chest again. It was unpleasant. She thought the irritation that swirled in her stomach for Link suited her much better.

Hours later, she presumed, they reached the gates to Hyrule castle town. The humans were safe in their ignorance, at least; no creatures of twilight entered or left.

As she followed Link across a drawbridge over something like a moat, into one of the town gates – the only one slightly ajar, in fact – Maeva thought it was time to change that.

Hyrule castle town was, simply put, a ghost town. Not that its inhabitants knew it – they all thought they could still affect the world by their business and meanderings. Maeva had never descended the castle herself; she only ever stayed in Zelda's room, or outside, if guards came to visit.

The eastern end of the castle town was comprised of houses high and low, varying in size but never in shape, so that one large house could be divided into two or three if the owner so chose it. Many little streets and alleys branched from there, but Link took the main road and entered the town square, whose main feature was a wide circular fountain. Its center piece was a pair of wings surrounding a great triangle with four smaller ones within: a familiar shape, but Maeva couldn't tell where she'd seen it before.

Expensive shops and fancy cafés skirted the square, though the spirits in town were generally glum – and not because of the Twilight, of which they clearly knew nothing. At least the villagers of Kakariko had been aware of the shadow beasts. The problem the citizens of Hyrule castle town concerned themselves with was the sudden lack of water. Maeva had noticed as much; if she stepped into the fountain (which she would certainly not do), the water wouldn't even have reached above her bare ankles.

"What's wrong with the water lately?" one of the women complained as Link passed them by.

"I don't know why you're hassling _me_ about this," said a man dressed in armor – clearly a Hylian soldier, causing Maeva to stop in her tracks. She waited for him to continue. "The only reason for there to be a water shortage here is if something's happened to Lake Hylia, our water source."

The husband of the woman who'd asked the question appeared incredulous. If Maeva was visible to them, they would have seen that her expression mirrored his. "If you already know what the problem is, what are you still doing here?"

"W-Well, er…" the soldier scratched at his helmet. "That might be the case, but, uh..Lake Hylia is under the jurisdiction of Eastern Hyrule! So…uh…there."

"Ugh! Good-for-nothing!" the woman groaned.

Maeva was aghast. How could this be? Royal soldiers passing duty on to another department? In their kingdom, it was an honor to take up a duty. To be the hero.

"Maeva!" Midna's voice rose from among the chatter of the spirits. "What is taking you so long? Now's not the time to go sightseeing!"

"I don't understand," Maeva said, brushing Midna's tone away in favor of her own curiosity. "Why do they shirk their duty? This is punishable by death!"

"Not here," Midna laughed at her naivete. "People here are given every right to be lazy…oh!" the imp giggled and pat Link's head. "But not you, hmm? Now let's _go_. The faster we see the girl, the sooner we can search for the light spirit."

Maeva followed Link into the western end of town. Along its main road had long ago risen a bazaar, which was perpetually open. Merchants from around the world sold all sorts of food, trinkets, equipment…and even hot springwater! She was happy to see a Goron and his son set up business there, but disheartened to see them as spirits.

"Is Lake Hylia far from here?" Maeva asked, instinctively dodging all the spirits wandering around town still going about their business though she knew she phased through them – or perhaps it was the other way around.

"Why?" Midna grinned. "Planning to play hero?"

Maeva snorted. "I was only wondering."

"What do you think, hero?" Midna bopped Link's head with her hand. He almost snarled, but clearly held himself back and glanced up at Maeva. He made no sound, keeping only her gaze, and slowly jerked his head in the direction of a back alley as though it had been a question.

Maeva shrugged. "If you think this way leads to your – Ilia, then go ahead. Midna gave you as much permission, didn't she?"

Link nodded and beckoned with a wagging of his tail before disappearing behind the crowd that shimmered like opalescent green glass. Maeva had to push through the air to find him again. The alley descended into a narrow and abandoned road that was rarely used. The only light in the area came from a small structure within one of the surrounding buildings.

"Telma's bar," Midna read slowly. She pulled at Link's ears. "In here?"

Link shook her little hands off and nodded before glancing back at Maeva and motioning to the door. She approached the window instead, peering inside. There were only a few people, she was certain, but the Twilight made it cold and the windows were foggy. If the Ilia girl was there, they wouldn't know until they entered.

Slowly, Maeva opened the door.

"What was that?" a girl her age gasped. "Why did the door open?"

"Hurry, get inside!" Midna yelled, and Link bounded inside behind Maeva before a tall, round woman could laugh and close the door quietly.

"It's only the wind, honey," said the woman, dark skin distinct against her deep auburn hair, braided into a ponytail. She appeared friendly, but the imposing way she walked indicated that she wasn't one to be trifled with. "Now…"

The worried gaze of the girl with whom she spoke was removed from the door and returned to something on the table beside her, which the imposing woman approached. Maeva followed curiously and gaped when she saw a new kind of being, no bigger than Talo or Colin – silvery purple and blue, with an hook-shaped nose and glistening skin, like that of a fish, and webbed feet. Gills below his(?) bare chest, and a great many ornaments on his neck. A Zora. Zelda had once wondered out loud how they must fare in the Twilight, and Maeva had asked what they were. Fishlike beings, Hyrule's princess had answered. Graceful and beautiful. She was right, of course, as princesses often were, but this one was unconscious. Ailing, even, if the grimace on the Zora's smooth face was to be interpreted.

"This boy…" said the girl with a desperate tone, "Telma, can you save him?"

"All right, little lady, try to settle down, okay?" Telma replied. So she must own the 'bar', though Maeva didn't understand where the eponymous bar was in this place. "I just sent for the doctor. But this is strange…a child of the Zoras…"

It was then that Maeva saw it. That look of painful familiarity in Link's wolf eyes. He approached the girl, tilted his head, even, as though he wanted to speak, but that was impossible. She was almost glad of it. Another pang in her chest rang through Maeva's body, and she could feel the ache spread to her fingertips, making her hands shake and causing her to clench her fist. Seeking to quell whatever it was, she thought only of how the girl – _Ilia_ – and Link must be very close. They grew up together, after all, with Fado. It was only right that a hero be worried about his…friends.

She was beautiful, of course. Eyes like the forest. Hazel hair that curved naturally into her face, giving it a soft, pixie-like appearance. The girl had a look of perpetual innocence, even in her worried rambling – she probably was. And her flesh. True, human flesh that turned pink when squeezed too hard, tanned bronze when kept under the sun for too long.

It was so unfair.

"Aw," Midna cooed patronizingly, "what an emotional reunion! Yes, a girl and her wolf—"

"Are you _finished_?" Maeva asked sharply, but it didn't sound so much like a question as it was a demand. "There is nothing more we can do here. We must find Lanayru."

Link glanced at her in surprise while Midna snorted derisively. She nodded in agreement, however, and said, "I have suspicions about Lake Hylia. Any problem here can be traced back to that usurper…so we should go there. What do you think, wolf?"

He nodded and rushed out of the bar when Maeva opened the door before they could hear any more frightened reactions from the spirits left behind. As her wolf-steed brought them out of the alley, Midna started. She was certain she'd seen a small crackle of lightning, almost like a…but it couldn't be. Not this far.

"Is something wrong?" Maeva asked, catching the frown on her small lips.

"Nothing escapes your notice, huh, Maeva? …Oh, wait," she replied, then gave a perfunctory giggle at the girl's frown. "But no. Now let's move it!"

Leaving Hyrule castle town the way they came, they set out further into the hilly province. Maeva no longer kept track of time – after all, they could always eat if they were hungry – and was glad whenever they came upon Twilit bulblin hunting parties. She expended her irritation by running her staff through them while Link mauled the rest who survived. Shadows must taste awful on his teeth, but that was his burden.

Eventually, they came across a magnificent bridge – the Great Bridge of Hylia, Midna enunciated from a sign nearby. Eldin Bridge couldn't compare. The length of this was twice that, even more, perhaps, and the archway leading to it was of ancient design, detailed in its structuring with the three goddesses at its head, but maintainable and sturdy.

Maeva looked closely at the bridge as they crossed it, inspecting every weed growing in every crack and the few crates scattered about. It was much less glorious up close, but still a sight to behold. "Do you think—"

"What is that smell?" Midna spun away from Link and wrinkled her nose.

Maeva imitated the gesture while sniffing and nodded in agreement. "I smell it, too." It invaded her nostrils and went down her throat, making her tongue taste murky brown and gray. She nearly gagged.

Link barked. His companions jumped, but saw that he was raising his paws and eyeing them with alarm. Maeva hadn't noticed it, either – the black liquid that had been spilled all over the bridge whence the odor came. It stuck to the bottom of her sandals. When the wolf snarled, she followed his gaze to the ends of the bridge – Twilit bulblins with flaming projectiles.

"They missed!" Maeva snorted when their arrows landed not far from their own feet. Of course, as she should have learned with Ook in the Forest Temple, it was never that simple. The fire landed into the black liquid and roared hungrily, lapping up its trail and sweeping through the length of the Great Bridge in as little as a minute.

"We have to get out of here!" Midna screamed over the flames raring to swallow them whole.

Link nudged the stray crates towards the edge and climbed them. Stepping over and joining him, Maeva took one look at what awaited them below and repeated, "_No_."

"What? You'll rather take your chances with the fire?" Midna snapped, flying away from Link briefly to jostle Maeva forward, but the girl caught herself and continued to shake her head.

She could already taste the flames. The fire seemed comforting for a brief moment of what was probably _insanity_, but Link was biting her pant leg and pulling her forward.

"Wait, wait, wait," she begged, still in the process of bracing herself, but they were out of time. With a final nudge of his head, Link prodded Maeva forward and pushed them both off the bridge.

A great puddle awaited them below, deep enough to pull Maeva into its depths as her consciousness returned to her in short spurts while she spluttered and inhaled water. Link had expected this, however, and paddled over as soon as he caught sight of her. Instinctively, she grabbed his wet fur and allowed him to swim her ashore.

Luckily, she didn't take in as much water as she had within Death Mountain. "I'm all right," she forced out, still catching her breath as Link nudged her in an attempt to keep her awake. Turning halfway, Maeva reached for his neck and nodded gratefully as he pulled her upright. "Thank…" she coughed. "Thank you."

Link licked her face in reply before glancing up. The flames were dying out. The knowledge that those bulblins were capable of thought while affected by the Twilight had escaped him. And that he'd missed the stench of oil all over the bridge when he was the one with heightened senses… He couldn't allow himself to be distracted again.

"That was a close one!" Midna exclaimed, floating around her companions. They didn't know it, but she was checking them for serious injuries. "Anyway, this is Lake Hylia."

Link and Maeva glanced around doubtfully.

"Or what used to be Lake Hylia," the imp corrected herself. "It sounds like the spirit's spring should be somewhere around here as well. Let's look around."

There wasn't much to see but the lack of water. The reason for the shortage in the castle town was clear now. The Lake, which should have reached the bottom of the purple house sitting in its center, barely reached a quarter of its original size. Midna would have liked to explore a few cavern entrances to the north, high above the current water level, but they were nowhere Link and Maeva could reach if they tried. Lanayru's spring was nowhere to be found.

Two adult Zora spirits stood near the base of the lake, shifting between staring hopelessly into the little water left and craning their silvery necks to eye one of the caverns above. Maeva was listening to them lament their inability to return to their home, the 'Zora's Domain', up a waterfall, when a harsh wind zipped past her ear and a searing pain lodged itself in her left shoulder.

Swallowing down a cry, Maeva looked down. An arrow.

Midna screamed something and then Link darted from her side. When Maeva pulled out the arrow and tossed it at the ground, the wolf had already torn the Twilight-possessed bulblin apart.

"So fragile," sneered Midna, giving a disappointed frown. "What? Can you still move?"

"Yes," Maeva replied with a hiss. Reaching into Link's Pocket, she pulled out the red potion and smeared some of it on her stinging wound. There were bandages in her own pouch, which she could have taken out had a shadow kargarok not announced its arrival with an ominous trumpeting.

Another twilit bulblin stood some ways from them, a summoning reed in its gray hand.

"We're not doing this again, flying steed or not," said Midna. "Maeva, I'll get the kargarok; can you at _least_ get that pest?"

"Why do you doubt me?" Maeva growled, but it was rhetorical as she forced her injured arm taut and shot at the bulblin's heart before it could climb the obedient kargarok's back.

Midna, on the other hand, dashed to the kargarok and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck. It let out a strangled shriek as the imp wrapped her tiny fingers around the edges of its concave face and pulled. "Hey! I'm your master now, got it?" she shouted in the language it would know by heart; at least in this form. "Settle down!"

"Hop on," she said to Maeva when the shadow kargarok submitted and allowed her to land it beside her companions. "We're going to that Zora's Domain and seeing what _gives_."

Upon Midna's orders, the shadow kargarok took Link between its claws and started for one of the caverns above the Lake. It brought them into a series of open tunnels that allowed the twilight to seep into what should have been a passage for water, but there was only ice and dripping stalactites. Twilit bulblins attempted to shoot them down. They were stationary, however, and Maeva subdued them easily.

They exited the icy tunnels and landed on a grassy patch of a cliff surrounded still by the rising mountain, along which a small hut had been constructed. The spirit of a caramel-skinned woman, reminiscent of Coro with her wild, curly hair, sat against the hut with her arms wrapped around herself. A sign stood not far from her, as well as a boat.

"What is this place?" Maeva asked when the shadow kargarok was gone, watching the woman moan about the cold, which she couldn't deny herself. "Why does she live between the Zora's Domain and the Lake below?"

"It says," Midna sighed, reading the signpost beside the woman, "this is Iza's boat rental cabin. But who cares? It's getting cold! Let's go!"

Link barked for attention and jerked his head below the cliff. A blanket of ice, and a cavern archway where stalactites and stalagmites almost met to create bars, like a prison. Squeezing themselves in between, Link, Maeva and Midna trudged up freezing slopes of pure ice.

Goosebumps enveloped Maeva's body, and when Midna stopped to look at the valley of ice that was now the Zora's Domain, the girl couldn't help but crouch down and wrap her arms around Link. The wolf gave a surprised yelp.

"Don't flatter yourself," she repeated, almost closing her eyes at the beast's comforting warmth. "It's your fur I want."

Link would have laughed if he were human, but for the time being he only nodded and leaned his head against the side of her face.

Ignoring them, Midna floated in the center of the area and shuddered. "I thought it was getting colder…this is the Zora's village, right? So why isn't there anyone…?" Throwing a glance back at them, she rolled her eyes. "Hey, are you listening?"

"Yes," Maeva answered, releasing Link and standing. She wished she hadn't, because the goosebumps returned almost immediately. Still, she understood what they needed to do. What should have been the waterfall were now broken pillars of ice, rising to another area of the home of the Zora. Midna intended to climb these columns. "But I…have none of the capacity needed to discover more."

"Don't be stupid," Midna frowned, floating over to the first pillar. "Come here."

Maeva obeyed curiously but warily. She didn't know what Midna had in store for her anymore. "Yes?"

Midna pursed her lips and then nodded to herself as if in reassurance. Her fiery hair shot out from behind her, shaped like a hand, grabbed Maeva by the waist, and threw her high up in the air. Link barked furiously at the sight, but their imp companion only giggled. "Oh, have some faith! She'll be all right." With a flick of its fingers, the hand her hair formed tossed Maeva to safety, inside the area she wanted to reach. Turning to Link, Midna grinned. "Okay. Your turn."

Maeva's yelps were cut short by her harsh landing. She rolled into the ice, her body aching in places she knew would soon bruise, but got up as quickly as she could. The ground was so cold that it burnt to the touch. How was that even possible? In any case, Link and Midna would catch up soon.

Several arches consisting of smooth blue curls – resembling the white bubbles that formed when the waterfall met with the Lake below, but Maeva didn't know that – lined the ice ahead. It must have been very nice in the bright day or the peace of night, but under the fogged uncertainty of the Twilight, it looked only eerie to the girl, who hastened forward.

The Zora's throne room waited at very top of the waterfall. A clear throne patched with shells on its sides sat in its northern end, surrounded by columns of gleaming blue rock, connected by the same intricate curls that led Maeva here. It was completely empty – and then perhaps it wasn't, as three snarling shadow beasts leapt out from behind the columns and charged at her. She dodged them, but just barely, and managed to pierce one in the heart before she fell into the ice against her elbows.

They took one look at their companion and hissed at her. "Surrender…traitor…" The shadow beasts were hardly ever coherent, but when they were, it was all they ever said. She had learned to steel herself, to allow survival to trump the weight of their memory. "Or…die…"

Maeva must have known these two before, or at least seen them once in the city, be they friends, acquaintances, or simply strangers in passing. It pained her each time to destroy them, but if they, in turn, recognized her – the control Zant's god had given him over these turned Twili was absolute – they could never stop themselves, no matter how hard they tried…

It had been in a throne room, too, but instead of the tranquility of magical blue walls and a crystal clear throne, the seat of power was made of steel, and the room glowed with clover green and violet writing that reminded them forever of why they could never walk again in the light.

_The Twili were huddled in the room, trapped by nothing but their own fear. Their innocent eyes shifted between Zant and Midna, the latter shouting curses and screaming, the former attempting to show his lover reason. They had barely noticed when she burst into the room._

_She saw the cause for their trembling almost immediately. Seven of the Nine were sprawled on the ground, lying in pools of their own blood. The strongest in the Twilight realm, her fellow bodyguards, slain in ways she didn't want to imagine and dumped aside like savage beasts._

_Maeva cradled Rell in her arms, the youngest of their team. The girl had only been a decade and four. Her specialty was small throwing weapons, and to correct this, her wrists were pulled, her hands splayed in all the wrong angles. Saemi, Hepfi, Rabor, Zelk, Hidram, and Siv were almost unrecognizable if not for their uniforms. She couldn't contain her sobs._

_"…Is that you, Maeva?" Midna's voice, full and deep, woke her from her trance. "What…What happened to you? What have you done to yourself?"_

_She wondered what Midna meant until she saw the still unfamiliar flesh on her arms, and the seemingly carved scars on her body. Releasing Rell, she stood. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered, furiously wiping her tears and approaching Midna. "Please forgive me. Midna…"_

_The older woman backed away, however. "Wh-Why… Did you…Did you betray me as well?"_

_"Oh, _no_," Zant laughed and continued with a patronizing tone. "No, not innocent little Maeva. She remains the little girl who grew admiring us with starry eyes. No…"_

_"Stop! This is all your fault!" Maeva screamed at him, his atrocities, his words, his betrayal fresh in her mind. "Stop it or I'll—"_

_"Then how can this be?" Midna demanded furiously, pointing at her flesh with obvious disgust. "You were gone for days! I…I thought the worst, and now this…"_

_"I swear, I didn't betray you!" Maeva grabbed Midna's hands and pleaded into them, ignoring the gasps and murmurs from the crowd. The Nine never begged, not even to their ruler. But she was begging as a friend, not as a soldier. _

_"There is only one way to prove her innocence," declared Zant, the laughter still in his tone. "Come!"_

_Zant made a sweeping motion with his right hand, and from the crowd two figures were raised into the air, choking, and then thrown into the pile among the fallen members of the Nine. They would reach Maeva's chest if they stood, but they didn't, keeping to their recoiled, kneeling forms. Small and stubby like the rest who were not members of the Nine, they peered at her with fear, bewilderment, and detachment that broke her heart. But recognition passed the woman's face, and she stretched out her plump fingers to reach for her. "Maeva…?"_

_"Mother!" she released Midna and met her parents in an embrace. "Mother, I didn't betray anyone. I…I didn't know…!"_

_"You're safe," said her father, his voice faltering. "That is what matters. But…your eyes…what—ungh!"_

_Zant waved his hand again, separating Maeva from her parents and throwing her against their remaining kinsmen, who screamed and made no move to aid her. She rose quickly, untangling herself from their little arms, but could do nothing to stop what happened next._

_Her mother and father were screaming in agony. Darkness enveloped them, bringing them into the air as they writhed, unable to even beg for their lives. Their chubby necks bent in impossible angles, their arms tangling with their legs that jolted forward first and then upward. Maeva wanted to vomit, but her own morbid curiosity kept her eyes on them._

_"Stop!" she screamed, attempting to reach Zant, but a barrier of shadows stopped her easily. "Zant, please!"_

_His smirk only widened._

_They no longer resembled her parents, and she couldn't see their faces behind the helmets they suddenly wore. Thick strands of black hair sprouted from behind their unseen faces while spindly arms tattooed in bright red replaced their short limbs. _

_"Mother…? Father?"_

_They ignored her and set their sights on Midna, leaping—_

_Instinctively, Maeva pulled out her staff and blocked them with its shaft, hurling them to the ground. "Mother, please…!"_

_"You know what you must do," said Zant, crossing his arms. "Then who will she be to doubt you?"_

_Midna's eyes widened. "Maeva, don't—"_

_Maeva took them into her arms before they could leap again. "Please, mother, father," she begged, embracing them tightly. They snarled, kicked and scratched at her, tearing at her hair. If they could only raise their helmets, they would bite her. The blood seeped through her clothes, but she wouldn't notice until later. "Please, please, please let this be a dream…"_

Maeva fired two arrows from the Bow. The beasts released agonized shrieks before their bodies tore themselves apart, bit by bit, and returned to Zant's portal above. Acknowledging the dominance displayed before it, the portal's colors shifted to clover green.

"Great, we can warp from here now. Took you long enough."

As though she had forgotten she wasn't alone, Maeva jumped in shock. Midna's words registered later and hurt even more than usual, but she bit her tongue in favor of finding Lanayru. Clutching her bracelet for comfort, Maeva said, "There's no one here. Only those guards…"

"Not so," Midna replied, her eye even larger than usual. She floated as though lying on her stomach, her gaze stuck in the ice below. "Down! Look!"

Beneath their feet, trapped in the frozen water, were all the missing Zora. Maeva felt sick and searched the area for somewhere to deposit breakfast, but held her ground and turned to her companions helplessly. "How…?"

"Zant," Midna spat. "As to how we're going to fix this one… We need to thaw them out, but how…? If only we could get some of that magma from Death Mountain…"

"We could ask for a dodongo from the Goron elders," Maeva suggested, but the idea sounded better in her mind already. "Have it…breathe flames into the ice…"

Even Link shook his head at that one. Maeva scoffed. "If you have any ideas at _all_, I'd like to hear them!"

They stood around, with Maeva starting sentences with _perhaps_ or _maybe_ and Midna shooting her down with a roll of her eyes. At least, until Link started, a yelp caught in his throat.

"What? What's wrong with you?" Midna tilted her helmeted head.

Link stared up at Maeva more intensely than usual. She didn't know why, but she could stand him better when he was a wolf, and felt less inclined to irritation, though some of it still swirled in her stomach when they met eyes. Remembering how she had done the same to Malo, Maeva stared back.

She broke the ice this time, however. (And if only that were literal.) "What?" she sighed. "I cannot read your mind, if that's what you believe."

Link hung his wolf head in surrender before inspecting the area. Midna and Maeva exchanged clueless expressions as the chosen hero attempted to curl himself into what appeared to be a ball, and laughed at the futility when he eventually realized it and gave up. Panting in frustration, he laid on his back with a huff.

"I think I'll stay here until Link snaps out of his delirium," Midna said, making sure Maeva created a barrier between her and the wolf. Maeva could almost laugh at Link's helplessness, but she couldn't understand what he was talking about, and watched with obvious interest as he rose with renewed vigor.

Link tilted his body, raising his right paws and leaning solely on his left before bringing the former back down and stomping them, hard. He did the same with his left side, and then repeated in an alternate fashion while his companions attempted to guess at his message.

"Let me guess…Maeva on a horse?"

"Clearly not," Maeva scoffed. "Are you…acting like a drunkard? This is no time to desire alcohol!"

Link patiently shook his head.

Midna pursed her lips. "That friend of yours, Fado?"

"Ah!" Maeva snapped her fingers. "You, when you battled Dangoro on that tilting platform?"

Sighing, Link shook his head.

Midna clicked her tongue, growing in annoyance. "You, walking with your tail between your legs?"

"I don't know," Maeva grumbled. "A tribal dance you learned when the goddesses chose you as their beloved hero?"

Link gave a disappointed whimper.

"This is ridiculous," Midna frowned. "I don't think—I've got it! Wrestling? Gorons?"

Maeva still couldn't draw a connection between that and Link's silly actions. "What about the Gorons?"

"I just said that," Midna rolled her eyes. "Death Mountain? Dangoro? Death Mountain!" she spun victoriously as Link nodded his head at the volcano.

"So…" Maeva's eyes glanced around shiftily. "What about Death Mountain?"

Link wished he was in his human form so he could groan. He trudged towards the area behind the columns, filled with some rocks and small pebbles that hadn't frozen up entirely. Beckoning to them, he burrowed through the rock piles and made an accomplished sound as he found an elongated rock, which he held sideways in the air by tilting his head. And then, with a jerk of his head, Link threw the rock into the ground.

Midna and Maeva watched him in confusion. Unable to think of a better way to illustrate his point, Link repeated the action with growing frustration until the rock created a crack in the ground and Maeva released a triumphant screech.

"Hey!" Midna covered where her ears were under the Fused Shadow. "What? This had better be good!"

Maeva chose her next words carefully. "Did you mean…that large slab of rock? The flaming one that crashed in the middle of everything while we climbed the Mountain and evaded the hostile Gor—"

The wolf tackled her and licked her face gratefully before she could even finish. Equally pleased by her epiphany, Maeva laughed.

Link stopped.

She had actually wondered why, until she remembered who she was and who he was and…why had she laughed about something Link did without her laughter being derisive? That it was possible was…odd.

"I have no idea what's happening," Midna grunted, crossing her arms.

Sitting up, Maeva pursed her lips together. She didn't understand herself why she still wanted to smile. "As we made our way to the Gorons' elder council, the volcano erupted a flaming slab of rock that fell into an area of Death Mountain. If it still burns, then perhaps…"

"Go and get it," Midna nodded. "It's not like we have any better ideas."

"You might send me off."

"Everything just needs to be spoonfed, huh?" Midna asked, but gave a wave of her hand. Before Maeva could defend herself, the imp's shadows divided the girl's fleshy body into a million tiny particles and sent her hurtling into the clover green and black portal above.

The heat of Death Mountain greeted Maeva with an almost soothing whisper, except it wasn't soothing and she felt the heat from the flaming slab clawing at her face. She jumped back, the pain prickling at her right shoulder, and instantly felt a headache begin to develop as she hit her head against the edge of the rocky mountain face.

Only it wasn't the mountain face; it was one of the Gorons who'd once tried to attack them. "Oh, hello!" he greeted cheerfully now, the gaze from his violet eyes pleasant. "None of our Brothers said you were visiting again, little one! If you are going up the mountain, I can launch you as high as I can!"

Maeva didn't appreciate how the Gorons referred to Link as 'brother' but called her only a 'little one', but they were a good-natured, well-meaning people and she didn't want them to suggest that she earn her place as a 'brother' by wrestling with any of them, whether or not she had the Boots in Link's Pocket at the moment.

"No, thank you," she said, giving him her best smile despite the burning in her right shoulder – it should have been her left, since that was where the arrow had pierced her, didn't it? – and turned away from him to look up the rock that Link had suggested. "May I take this rock?"

The Goron gave her a peculiar expression in reply and asked, chuckling shortly, "If I say yes, how do you think you will do that, little one?"

"Magic," she answered, and thrust her staff into the ground. It extended the reach of her shadows, especially since she had just teleported with the aid of Midna's growing power, and felt tingly as her own engulfed the slab. Turning to the Goron, who looked neither horrified nor pleased instead of mystified, she said, "Have a good day."

Maeva materialized next to Link just in time to see the slab breaking into the ice. Expecting to nearly-drown again, she braced herself against the wall behind the pillars and held on to a tuft of Link's fur, but the water that burst out of the melted ice splashed forward instead of sideways. The frozen domain melted, and as the water rushed out almost endlessly, certainly filling Lake Hylia to the brim, so did the Zora people wash up into the throne room as coughing spirits gasping for breath.

"There! The water should be back to normal," Midna spoke when they were certain the Zora would recover in time. "_Finally_ we can meet the spirit of Lake Hylia! The fastest way down is to follow the current…"

Maeva wanted to protest and ask for a portal instead, but that could never be her way; not to Midna, at least, and not like this.

"You can't swim to save anyone's life," Midna said to her, "so you can hold on to Link and try not to drown."

"Thank you," Maeva grunted sardonically, but Link only nodded. The thing about his wolf form was that whenever he opened his mouth, he appeared to smile, but that wasn't much different from how he acted as a human, she supposed, and gave a perfunctory eye roll. In any case, she reassured herself, Link should be a good swimmer. Half of Ordon village was a lake, after all, and – admittedly – he had pulled her to safety several times.

"Wait!"

Midna whirled in the air. "Who said that?"

A translucent female Zora floated in the air before them. She was a spirit – and not the kind that could be returned to her true form when his Twilight was lifted. Maeva should have been scared, but even with her ghostly pallor of grayish pink and purple, the woman was regal, frightening only because of the stately way in which she carried herself.

"Please," she said, her voice ringing in Maeva's ears so that she wasn't certain if she was only hearing it in her mind. "You must allow me to thank you for revitalizing both my people and this spring, which is the water source for all the lands of Hyrule. In life, I was the elder of this Zora village and the Queen of my people."

Midna appeared skeptical. "Not to be rude, but…we didn't exactly do this for you."

The woman brushed her away with a smile. "I was called Rutela. The dark ones – they raided this village and, as a message to my people, executed me before them. Young man, you who takes the form of a dark beast, and you…" she met eyes with Maeva, whose own thoughts were distant at the mention of an execution, "I have something to ask. When the dark ones descended upon my village, I sent my young one, Ralis, to Hyrule Castle in order to inform Princess Zelda of our fate. But…I fear danger followed him to this doomed place. Please, save my son. If you do this thing, I will grant you the ability to swim and respire in deep waters as though you were one of my people – the protection of water. What do you say?"

Link nodded at Maeva when she – for some reason – glanced at him. She didn't know why his words stuck to her mind, but she remembered what he'd said to Gor Coron. "We would aid you."

Queen Rutela closed her eyes, inclined her head, and disappeared.

Still affected by the solemnity of the love of a mother long gone, Maeva crouched beside Link and wrapped her arms around his fur, speaking quietly. "Ready."

Link jumped, and all Maeva remembered was holding on tight and letting out a soundless scream as the rushing river threw them off the mountain.

…

Link opened his eyes slowly and wondered why he could smell water and beast and pears so fully. When he opened his mouth to call for his companions, he remembered. Zora's Domain, the Zora queen, falling, the failure to brace himself well enough for it. He was the beast, and Maeva always smelled of pears.

Maeva. He laid on his side and could barely see out of his left eye, but with his right he spotted an imp floating over her body. Midna, with a tiny hand scraping the stray hair away from Maeva's face. For a split second, he thought he saw something – an affection even gentler than worry – in her eyes, but she caught his gaze and pulled her hand back as though burnt.

Midna frowned. "Aren't you awake yet?" she glanced over at Maeva with painful nonchalance. "She's not. Probably fainted out of fear. Something needs to be done about this."

Link forced himself upright, shaking the water from his fur and approaching their unconscious companion. He nudged Maeva's head slightly, ignoring how her cheek was soft against his nose. She turned away from his touch – but why did that surprise him? – before waking groggily.

"Unh…" Maeva groaned when she came to full consciousness, rubbing her eyes and under her nose. "I'm all right."

"It's about time you woke up," said Midna. "Anyway, we got washed up in Lake Hylia just like I predicted. And we're right in front of the spirit's spring, to boot. Talk about lucky!"

"How do you know?" asked Maeva. Midna shot her an irritated glare and pointed to a signpost behind her, causing her to shrug. "Ah. Of course we landed before Lanayru's spring."

**Lanayru's temple**, Link read to himself. It was a cavern that opened itself to the skies, covered in drooping trees and dangling vines. A small pool of water lay still as the light spirit's home. Lanayru's haunting melody echoed against the narrow walls of the cavern and the low-kept ceiling the trees provided.

When they approached, it spoke, so weak that it could only take the form of a spattering of light particles. Instructing Link as Faron and Eldin had, it bestowed upon them a Vessel with which to collect Tears and bade them lift the 'final cloud of Twilight' that threatened to cover all of Hyrule.

Wrapping the Vessel around her wrist when they stepped out of Lanayru's temple, Maeva turned to Link. "This is the last Vessel we will fill. If there is anything you like about being a wolf, enjoy it now. Soon we will remove his Twilight from Hyrule, retrieve the last of the Fused Shadows, and…"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Midna muttered, cutting Maeva off. "But that _is_ the plan."

They set out to collect the bugs almost eagerly. It was a task that Maeva disliked, especially because the holy light hurt her despite her intentions, so she felt no ill will towards Link when he paddled around Lake Hylia attacking crackling bugs without aid from her. When there were no more insects in the lake, Midna suggested that they take another shadow kargarok to Zora's Domain. Maeva did not know how to play the summoning reed, so Link howled a tune that somehow called upon the same kargarok Midna had subdued previously.

The Zora appeared to be feeling better, at least, but were panicking about their prince and mourned the horrid death of their queen, Rutela. Not that it mattered, since they could see neither Link nor Maeva, who participated in her share of collecting Tears by throwing her staff at the insects who tried to escape them, sticking to the highest parts of the throne room.

When they were finished, Midna sat back in the air and grinned. "Well, that was easy."

"No…" Maeva raised her wrist to the imp. "We have two Tears left to find."

"Ugh!" Midna flicked Link's back and grumbled. "Okay. Let's see if that girl with the boat saw anything."

The water flow was less violent now, and Link was able to control their fall from the throne room so that he could still swim to Iza's boat rental cabin. Still reeling from having to submerge herself in water again, Maeva sat beside the unsuspecting woman on her porch and mirrored her glum countenance at Midna. "There is nothing here. And where is Link?"

He was no longer in sight – and suddenly he was, beside the familiar glow of a white stone. She knew where he'd gone: that cliff surrounded by the world, howling with that golden wolf. A part of her wished he'd given some warning, so she might cast her unworthy eyes on the vision again. Link barked at them from across the valley, where he padded over beside two Zora. Coming from near the boat for a running start, Maeva leapt across the water and tumbled into the adjacent patch of land beside the wolf.

The Zora men, wearing helmets that resembled fish faces, peered into a tunnel opening even Midna hadn't spotted earlier.

"Do you think Prince Ralis passed through _here_?" asked the first.

"He must have," said the other, though he sounded more hopeful than certain. "This is the only waterway that connects to Hyrule Castle. Come. Let's follow this path in search of him."

Maeva envied them so as she watched them dive into the water and swim, truly fishlike, lithe as they moved their bodies along the ripple of the waves, requiring no separate flailing arm movements to float. "Prince Ralis," she repeated, and did so again with more fervor. "Prince Ralis!"

"Huh?" Midna crossed her arms. "Don't tell me you're going kooky like Link earlier."

"Do you think the prince – was the boy your…_friend_ saved?" Maeva asked Link. "In that 'bar' in Hyrule castle town?"

The wolf nodded slowly, seeing sense in her words.

"Hyrule castle town…Aha!" Midna giggled, her own realization completely separate from Maeva's fruitless one. They all would have come to that knowledge eventually. "I know where one of the last insects is."

"Where?"

"There," said Midna, motioning to the waterway. "I thought I saw something when we passed by there. I was right. Let's go! We can take this to town."

"But—"

"You stay behind," Midna interjected. "Since you can't swim. Okay?"

Maeva clenched her fist but showed obeisance with a nod. When Link glanced back at her as he let the currents take him to Hyrule, she almost waved farewell. Alone, Maeva ran to the nearest rock and kicked it as hard as she could. She was so tired of all the _guilt_. Had she not yet paid her dues?

Groaning, Maeva removed the thoughts from her mind. Fighting with her would only make things worse. No matter how much Midna must hate the thought of it, they had to stick together. Long enough, at least, for Midna to grow in power and overthrow Zant's god. Then it would be her and Zant, the last of the Nine, and she would kill him, too. In every brutal way that he had dishonored their comrades.

Frustration expelled, Maeva eyed the area. Leaving this place was essential to actually contributing to the process of Tear collection, but even in the Twilight she lacked enough power to create a portal, and in any case, those had never been her forte. Leaping back to Iza, who in her opinion would have been more Coro-like if she had a nest in her hair – and why was she even thinking of places so simple as Ordon and Faron? – she sighed and sat down.

"How do you even forage for food in these parts?" Maeva sighed, turning to the freezing woman.

Iza rubbed her hands against her arms and grumbled. "Whoever thought renting out boats w-was going to be a good idea, anyway? I wish some shiny prince would just show up and fix it all… I knew I sh-should've gotten more lanterns from that lazy Coro…"

"You know Coro?" asked Maeva, tilting her head right as she remembered that the woman was talking to herself. She would laugh if she didn't agree that it was freezing, and it wasn't because of the Twilight.

Standing and jumping a few times in an attempt to warm herself, she found her way to the other side of the house and turned sharply at the sight of something she'd neglected to grant significance. It was a boat, small and sturdy enough for four people. Well, she hoped. Maeva had never really ridden one, or seen anyone ride it, but there was a poster outside Iza's house that showed a human sitting inside the hollow end of the concave object, and that was instruction enough. Surely no one would offer boat rides with boats that weren't sturdy. Maeva closed her eyes and concentrated on shadow tendrils pushing the boat slowly near the edge of the water as she climbed into it.

Her mind repeated over and over again that this was the worst idea she had _ever_ had, among others, and that the boat would sink and she would drown and the Zora at the bottom of the river would find it quite comical, if they could only see her, but Maeva licked her lips part in determination and the rest in desperation, and – after tossing the only red rupee she had in her pocket towards Iza, because stealing wasn't the Hero's way nor hers – the shadows pushed her into the still darting river. She didn't even notice that there was only one empty sphere left on the Vessel.

The currents were too strong, overpowering Iza's screaming when she realized her boat had fallen into the river. The mass of bubbling white and green and orange under the Twilight looked peaceful from above, on the kargarok, but inside the river Maeva was proven violently wrong. It pushed her boat this way and that, and she would have crashed into several rocks several times if not for the oars that came with the ride. She fell down too many small waterfalls to count, enjoying the thrill of free-falling as she once had, though the lack of control had Maeva's fingers shaking every time she landed and she heard something crack somewhere around the boat.

And then, of course, there was the Waterfall, the longest one that fell finally into Lake Hylia itself. When Maeva could see only the mountains surrounding the Lake from the height, her mind went into overdrive, reminiscent of how Zant had first been when she rejected his offer of power. She thought of her parents, whom she did love, of Gale and Ooccoo, who were kind to her for no reason at all, and Ooccoo Junior who had become dear to her. There was also Midna, whom she loved immensely and to whom she was duty-bound, and – Link. His irritating smile passed her mind's eye before she crashed into a rock – only she didn't crash into a rock, having miraculously rowed fast enough to change the direction of her boat, though only enough to cause the boat to skid its side against the face, and then it tipped over, cracking under the pressure of the roaring water.

The last thing she remembered thinking was _not again_.

She was safe! And alive – but sinking! Although she had survived the Waterfall, the boat was now in pieces and she would drown as predicted. In Maeva's pathetic flapping, however, her sinking arms managed to grab hold of a large boat splinter and pull her body up.

If her feet were still connected to her body, she couldn't quite feel them. Maeva was afloat, however, and forced enough presence of mind on herself to collect the surrounding boat planks, should she require more leverage. She resented being left behind if only for her inability to swim. In their realm it had never been an encumbrance as it hadn't ever been necessary, and now _she_ was because she couldn't swim. If she could only learn…

How did Link swim? With her arms wrapped tightly around the boat splinter that kept her from drowning, Maeva closed her eyes and recalled the memory of watching him survive crossing one of the small waterforms in the Forest Temple and Death Mountain. His knees moved forward and backward alternately, allowing his feet to kick the water properly…

Maeva took slow breaths, squeezing her eyes as she persuaded body to return control over her legs. She wasn't certain how long it had taken, but the numbness was replaced by a prickling feeling starting with her thighs, down her calves and to her toes. Her feet stretched in unease, but she could feel them, and slowly, Maeva started to kick.

The water hindered her movement, but the exercise was enjoyable enough, considering that in most cases she would have already died. Kicking harder, Maeva smiled as she felt herself move forward with the plank. Swimming was not so difficult after all; if she could learn to move in the water, perhaps she could do so without a crutch as well.

Link had created half-circles with his arms, again alternately, if she remembered correctly. Maeva released the splinter and pushed against it, turning to the water on her stomach and attempting to kick with her feet and create half-circles with her arms.

She was sinking again.

Panic filled her mind, the way water would soon fill her lungs if she didn't return to the planks. Kicking madly, unable to control her flailing arms as her head bobbed up and down the water in a mad search, Maeva found the splinter. Well, that had been extremely foolish. One thing at a time, she supposed, vowing never to release her lifeline. At least, until she felt something swim past her feet.

Maeva dipped her head into the water, but she could see nothing and dismissed it as a fish. This was a lake, after all. In smaller ponds, she had once managed to spear down a few of them. Fish tasted a little less gray, but she still only ate them when necessary. But the Vessel sharply whistled at an ear-piercing pitch, which could only mean…

A tide pushed her back, causing her to pull her face out of the water – only to twist it in horror as a tainted light shone upon the lake. Larger than a kargarok, the last insect flapped its tiny wings only three heads above her, crackling while its short, bulbous arms twitched about.

Roaring, the insect dove at her.

For a second, she slipped under the planks to hide, but realized her mistake and groped for a new splinter, eyes open in the dark lake. The insect swam in circles under her as though pacing itself. Knowing she could win no battle underwater, Maeva inhaled as she pulled herself out of the water and climbed, attempted to balance on the larger planks.

Her footing was unsteady, but the planks kept her above the water well enough for her to pay mind to the Vessel, whose whistle grew louder again, and louder until her eardrums hurt – and then the insect burst out of the water, purple lightning surging through its body. Lake water splattered on her like rain, the impact throwing her off the planks. The insect caught her with a crushing grip of its fatty appendages and Maeva barely freed her right arm when she took her staff and stabbed at the insect. It cried out, loosening its hold. Sheathing the weapon and using the bug's plump yellow fat as support, Maeva reached for the bulges near its neck and shook her captive left arm away. When she found herself on its back, it, too, had regained its balance.

She held on to its crisp yet slimy wings, causing the insect to flit around, unable to hover properly. It steered itself in every which way of the lake in an attempt to shake her off, succeeding only when it turned itself over, surprising Maeva, who clung to the wing for dear life. She fell on the ground right before Lanayru's temple as soon as her weight was too much and part of the insect's wing tore like paper.

The wing piece lost its glow once it separated from its whole while the bug – if light insects could feel any sort of emotion – crackled in what Maeva would have guessed was extreme agitation. It rushed at her with sparks of blinding electricity. She covered her eyes at first, but the Vessel shrieked like a finished kettle and shook her out of her stupor. Shoving herself forward, Maeva took to her feet and leapt, hurtling through bridges and brief landforms sitting over the lake, running past a wolf and Midna—

A fiery hand grabbed her by the waist and tossed her down, yelling. "Calm down, Maeva!"

Maeva could hear her heart whistling in her ears and the Vessel pounding in her brain, her mind spinning and her back aching from the second impact it had taken today. Sitting upright on her arms, she nodded at Midna and Link. "The…threw me off…unnatural…"

"Hey!" Midna shouted again, bringing her face less than an inch away from the girl's. "You have five seconds to start making sense!"

"Larger…" Maeva blinked. "In the lake…"

Maeva floated away and frowned. "In the lake?"

When she continued to refuse to make sense, Link pounced and licked Maeva's face.

Maeva shoved the wolf off and wiped her face in irritation. "Stop that!" she hissed, but coherently. "The last insect. It's in the lake! It was chasing me…!"

"That's old news," Midna said, backing up. "It's found you!"

The insect loomed over them, still missing part of its left wing. It swooped down in an attempt at Link this time, appearing to recognize him as soon as it saw them, but the wolf dodged and leapt onto it from behind, digging his claws into its back. When Link sank his teeth into the insect's small head and tore it off, it fell, exploding into a splash of shadows and freeing a Tear of light.

"And that's how you do it," Midna said to Maeva, who had watched with unconcealed amazement as Link mauled the very thing from which she had fled. The girl closed her mouth and frowned, but if she cared, the imp was too busy showing pleasure to give it away. "Well, see you later!"

…

"Pay attention, Link!"

Tufts of grass between his fingers and a soft wind against his face. With some difficulty, Link opened his eyes. Ordon, on one of the stone pillars behind Hanch's house facing the village lake. It was a little cloudy, but bright enough to be pleasant.

"If you look closely enough, you can see three eggs in that nest over there," said a familiar voice.

A girl sitting beside him wore the Hawkeye, pointing at a tree beyond the pond. When he only tilted his head at her curiously, she sighed and lifted the half-mask from her face. Grinning, she asked, "Falling asleep? It was you who woke me to watch the sunrise with you!"

Link was still reeling from the tone that extended beyond mere civility. Her short, frizzled hair, her dark, worn-out clothing, and her strange markings. Of course it was her. "…Maeva?"

"I have just the thing to wake you," Maeva laughed, a twinkle in her eye. Before Link could register it, she had already pushed him off the column.

He was dry only moments after he pulled himself out of the water. That should have seemed odd, but Maeva had already climbed down their watching post – it was _theirs_, he wasn't sure why, but he knew it was – and was waiting for him next to Sera's house with her legs crossed and her hands piled atop her lap.

Something was amiss. Link was forgetting something, but he brushed it off and took a seat beside Maeva. "I really asked you to watch the sunrise with me?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Maeva replied, narrowing her eyes suddenly, but smiled and took his hand. "It's only proper."

Link squeezed her hand in his and leaned his head against hers. This was natural. "Right. Obviously. I'm sorry, my mind's a little fuzzy…was it beautiful?"

"No," Maeva answered. "It was too cloudy. Fado insists a storm is coming. Ilia is inclined to agree."

Link chuckled and turned to face her. "And what do you think?"

"I think the sun is giving way to a new light. Have you heard of it? In the Sacred Realm, there lies the Golden Power…" Maeva's eyes held a distant look before they landed on his again. "It can make any dream come true."

"Sounds handy," Link grinned. "What do you need it for?"

"You can have anything in the world, Link," said Maeva, earnestly.

"Maybe," Link shrugged. "But I don't need anything else. Everything I really want is here. Right now."

Maeva's eyebrows furrowed, and the girl stood, turning away with a frown. "I don't understand why you're acting this way, Link."

He didn't notice how strange it was that they were already far away from Ordon, standing on a grassy hill before four triangles within a larger one, the outer three of which shining a blinding Gold.

"Maybe," Maeva continued, facing the triangle, "Maybe you _do_ want this, Link. And you profess not to only so I might lower my guard."

"What are you talking about?" Link frowned. "Maeva—"

"No!" Maeva shouted, whirling angrily at him. "The power is mine! And I will destroy anyone who stands in my way…even you, Link!"

His eyes widened when she lunged at him with a knife. Link grabbed her shoulder and hand and pried the object from her fingers, but Maeva struggled and wrestled him for it. He grew angrier each passing second, realizing too late that he had stopped defending himself long ago. When Maeva gasped, hands attempting to stop the blood seeping from her stomach, Link dropped the knife, shaking.

"You…You made me do it," Link whispered. "I didn't…"

"Did you…" Maeva closed her eyes. "Did you really think it would be so easy to kill me?"

When she opened them again, her irises were a bright red. Foam green and black leaked from her eyes, sliding over her face and down her neck to replace her flesh, and behind her was an ancient-looking relic covered in a gray haze – the Fused Shadow in its complete form. "I said I would do anything, didn't I?"

Maeva held a palm towards Link, who felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. Air didn't seem to exist, and something was binding his feet, rising in his throat, blotting out the light from his eyes. He saw Maeva smile wickedly, touching the Golden Power and wearing a halo of glorious red, and then the shadows swallowed him completely.

Link felt pain. It started from his very core, and then burned, flared, spread like wildfire throughout all the parts of his body. He opened his mouth to scream, but it was Maeva's voice he heard crying out in pain. He could see holy light assaulting from all sides – the Ordonian Goat, the Monkey, the Owl, and the Snake – and then the Fused Shadow breaking apart in his mind's eye, tossed to the side and disintegrated. Maeva writhed on the floor, clutching her own body, screaming as sharp, clover green shapes replaced her old red brown markings, and all Link could do was attempt to reach.

…

"When word of the power in the Sacred Realm spread through Hyrule, a great battle ensued – and interlopers who excelled at magic appeared, trying to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm. The goddesses ordered us light spirits to intervene, and we sealed away the great magic those individuals had mastered. You know this magic," Lanayru's voice echoed throughout its cave. "It is the dark power you seek – the Fused Shadow."

Maeva stood beside an entranced Link. As soon as he had changed into his Hero's Clothing, Lanayru showed itself to them and Link stood perfectly still. When she walked round him to see what the matter was, his eyes had already lost all color. She shook him, attempted to rouse him, but Lanayru had him in its grasp. Fear seized her for a moment, but Lanayru had looked at her…it circled the two of them and held her gaze for almost as long as had Eldin. She thought he would smite her, but she found something in its holy vision, not so much comfort as, perhaps, civility. And then it began to speak, telling Link of how the Twili came to be, a story that had been told to Maeva countless times since birth.

"Those who do not know the danger of wielding power will, before long, be ruled by it. Never forget that," said Lanayru, with a breath like a sigh, if light spirits had enough emotion to express it in that manner. "The dark power that you seek is sleeping within Lakebed Temple in Lake Hylia." With a parting nod – Maeva wasn't certain who it had addressed that to – the holy Snake swirled into itself and disappeared, but the light in the cave remained, giving it an unearthly, luminescent glow. Blue seeped into Link's irises again before his eyes shut and he collapsed to the ground.

Maeva caught him by the shoulders and set him down, but released him when she saw her own gentleness. "What happened?" she asked, slapping his cheek lightly. "Wake up…!"

Link's eyes opened wide, and what she saw in them brought all of Maeva's experiences back to her. It was fear, and his pooled around her entirety, slithering around and tightening the edges of her throat, smothering her. Did he know what she was now? Had Lanayru finally spoken? All the humans she had ever met when she failed to hide her markings had reacted to her with fear, save for Link. And now even he was no exception. Why was that painful?

"I'm sorry," said Link, coming to his senses, but repeated it when he saw that there truly was hurt in Maeva's expression. It didn't leave until he took her by the arm and said it again. "I'm sorry, Maeva. I didn't mean to…"

"Don't apologize," she snapped, her lips now set into a straight line. "Why should you? Your fear – it means nothing to me."

"It isn't that," he said. She grew ever more difficult to understand. "When Lanayru showed me what happened with the Interlopers – it gave them your likeness. But I know that it was to show me that the Interlopers could have come from anywhere; not a singular tribe of people. I was just surprised."

A heavy weight lifted from Maeva's chest. It was comforting until she allowed another thought to plague her mind – why had Lanayru only warned Link about her instead of telling him outright what she was?

"Maeva?"'

"We must find the last Fused Shadow," said Maeva, stalking out of the cave and meeting the warm sunlight with a wrinkling of her nose. Link didn't know what she was; the light spirits hadn't revealed her identity yet. She knew her worries were useless, which only furthered her irritation because they remained looming over her head. "But if it lies in Lake Hylia…"

Popping out of Link's shadow but floating purposely behind Maeva, Midna sighed. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about that Zora Queen – unless you have another way to breathe at the bottom of the lake! Or swim at all," she spat at the last moment. Maeva glared at a pile of pebbles scattered to her right and bit her tongue once more.

"Right, the prince," Link agreed, pretending to walk thoughtfully when his aim was to stand between the two. "The Queen did say she sent him to Hyrule."

Maeva ran a hand through her hair. "Hyrule Castle town is above Lake Hylia. Midna is in no shape to teleport us from this place."

"Obviously," said Midna. "Normal kargarok won't understand me, either. Find another way out of this pit, and make it fast."

Maeva narrowed her eyes at Link's shadow when Midna disappeared. Clearing her throat, she followed the path to the purple house floating at the center of the lake.

"Maeva, where are you going?" Link called after her, though he knew the question would only annoy her. He'd figured she hated repeating what was already clear, but there was always a half-chance her anger would prompt her to lower her guard and tell him why she and Midna were always somehow at odds.

"This is what Midna wants, isn't it?" Maeva replied, gritting her teeth. Her fists were clenched even when they arrived at the purple house, where they were greeted by a most peculiar sight. He was a man, Maeva was certain, but what sort of man would paint his lips blue and wear such bright colors – a pink sweater that stopped immediately after his chest, revealing a large stomach, a lime green and yellow hat, and patched up blue trousers with hearts sewn on his knees – only to ruin the entire ensemble with a depressing frown?

"Hel…" Maeva's eyes spotted the short hairs above the man's belly button before she continued, "…lo. May I ask what your purpose is, in Lake Hylia?"

"Fyer and Falbi's Watertop Land of Fantastication," Link read from the post next to the man, the eponymous Fyer. It was obvious he was some sort of entertainer, but maybe Maeva had been stuck in that castle with Princess Zelda for too long. "How does that work?"

Fyer's stare had seemed as though it phased right through them until that moment. His eyes lit up, but only slightly. With a half-forced smile, as if he couldn't appear genuinely happy, his voice droned in a loud voice, "The _height _of excitement! The _thrill_ of launching to the heavens! The very _peak _of flying fantastication…" He turned his head to them sharply for impact. "It can be _yours_! For a limited time only and without waiting in line, it's a paltry ten rupees! Whaddya say? Wanna give it a shot?"

Maeva glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at Fyer. "What line?"

Link bit his lips together in an attempt not to laugh. "I, uh, I don't think that's the point, Maeva." When she gave him her expression of the confused-irritated tandem, he only smiled and asked Fyer, "You say you can get us flying – far enough to land on the level of the Great Bridge?"

His mouth returning to its sad slouch, Fyer shrugged. "Sure." It bothered Maeva how quickly he appeared to change his affected emotions. Smiling again, he said, "So! How about it?"

"Well," said Link to Maeva, "It's our best shot."

If she could leap, she would be able to climb the cliff face somehow. Maeva inwardly grumbled, because Midna would only take pleasure in her negative emotions. "Very well."

"Then welcome!" Fyer said, half-grinning. "Right this way!" He ushered them up the steps to his colorful abode and shoved them past the door before slamming it shut.

It was dark and smelled too much like sulfur, but that wasn't Maeva's concern. The room was too small for a house, let alone a bedroom; there was barely even enough space between her and Link to crouch down. "What have you gotten us into?" she asked the Hero with a sigh.

"He seems to have done it on a lot of people before. It should be safe," Link said calmly.

Although she was certain he didn't know he was looking straight into her eyes, Maeva still glanced away. "Fine," she muttered, backing away into her own corner, which wasn't saying much – she still couldn't lift an arm without bumping into Link's chest.

The position had begun to be comfortable – or maybe she had only succeeded in convincing herself so – when the room shifted upward and narrowed, if that was possible. Her temple was trapped against Link's mouth, her arms at her sides. Link had reacted too quickly and attempted to raise his arms over his head for more space, only to have them squeezed between Maeva's shoulders and the walls.

"Is he trying to suffocate us?" Maeva asked breathlessly when Link turned his head away. "What—"

The room lifted itself again, and this time the ceiling high above them opened to reveal a tiny hole that allowed some light on them.

"What's happening?" Maeva demanded.

"I don't know," Link honestly replied. "Maybe—"

Heat began to gather beneath their feet, and Link suddenly remembered carrying a bombling in the Forest Temple. It was lukewarm, at first, and emanated an increasing amount of heat like a growing flame before –

"Watch out!" Link scraped his arms lowering one around Maeva's back and raising one to cover her head before the fire became unbearable and they exploded.

Maeva was screaming. It wasn't high-pitched like a squeal but raspy, low, as though she had done a lot of this screaming beforehand and was nearly out of energy. They didn't explode – Fyer had shot them out of his house with a human-sized cannon, forcing them into an uncontrolled leap while Link was silent around her, forcing her to yell into his cheek.

A wooden landing connected to the cliff faces cut her off abruptly, turning her shouts into pained grunts as she and Link rolled unevenly against it stop their movement. The landing was the terrace to a red-roofed house on the edge of an outlying cliff. There had been some cucco with them, but the poor birds squawked and screeched at their arrival and noisily clucked into the house that appeared almost as festive as Fyer's.

Blinking, Link sat upright and glanced over to his companion. "Are you all right? …Maeva?"

She was crawling after the cucco, her posterior raised in the air as she rested her head against her arm, panting, before she caught sight of something inside and launched herself off the floor like a large cat pouncing at its prey.

His eyebrows furrowing, Link stood curiously and walked into the house. He cringed at the sight of Maeva straddling a poor, whimpering man by his spotted orange trousers and lime green sweater that also stopped after his chest. She held an arrow against the Hero's Bow and pointed it in the man's face, threatening to release it if he didn't tell her where they were.

"P-p-please, partner!" the man, Falbi, cried. His red hat rolled on the floor away from him and his thick lips, painted red, trembled. "I already told you, you're only a little more than an hour from Castle town!"

"I think I remember seeing this place as a wolf. And…Maeva, there's no reason for him to lie," Link said as he approached, touching her shoulder lightly. She flinched, then gave him a surprised glance when she saw him as though she'd forgotten his presence. He dismissed it for the time being.

"…Obviously." Huffing in embarrassment, she stood and dusted herself off before walking out the door.

Link offered Falbi a hand and pulled him to his feet. He wondered if it should bother him that a man accepted his help and not Maeva, but shrugged himself off and replaced his thoughtful expression with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. My – uh, friend – was just shaken about the cannon ride. We weren't exactly given fair warning."

"It – it's awright, partner," said Falbi, looking just as shaken as Maeva, except without hair haggardly tossed all over his face. "Are you h-here for Falbi's Flight by Fowl?"

"No, we're just passing through. Your friend – Fyer – just gave us a ride from Lake Hylia. Sorry again for the trouble."

Maeva was pacing outside, peeling skin from her dry lips. If he looked carefully, Link would notice that her hands were still shaking, but he was focused on her usual frown. "Hey," he said, deliberately softly. "Are you all right?"

"Of course I'm all right," Maeva answered even before he finished his question. He always asked that. When Link's eyes traveled to her lips, she dropped her hands to her sides. "How in the_ world_ aren't you shaken from being shot out of a cannon?"

Link only smiled. "It was pretty fun, wasn't it?"

A forced leap was certainly not fun. She dearly missed her ability; her recovery of it was taking even longer than she had expected. Had Zant lied about that, too? In any case, she shrugged and pointed forward. He should lead the way if he knew it so well. She had seen these surroundings under the Twilight's haze, that was certain, but almost everywhere in Hyrule looked like this. None of them looked distinct enough to her.

They trudged through the grassy plains in silence. Maeva diverted herself with the shadows cast by the tall rock formations Link followed. Midna must have been asleep, because the shadow she inhabited was relatively still. Every so often, she glanced at Link, who kept his gaze ahead, save for a few times when he looked over his shoulder to reassure himself of her presence. Those rare moments were irritating. He might think she actually wanted to look upon his face when she only needed the knowledge that he knew where they were going.

"Ah." Link stopped and bent down after some length of time, picking up a small reed. "I've been looking for one of these."

Maeva, who'd nearly tripped over him, crossed her arms. "For what purpose?"

"Epona should be wandering around with the others by now. We can meet them halfway," he said, then pressed the reed to his mouth. It was the same tune he'd howled as a wolf to summon a kargarok in the Twilight.

The sound was pleasant, at first. The music in their kingdom was disjointed, staccato, with little room for relaxation for the listeners, while this tune set its course along the breeze. For a moment, Maeva felt lighthearted.

And then the moment stretched into seconds, minutes, and what could have been an hour, and Link still hadn't run out of breath, and the sound was almost perfunctory that she fell into deep thought without noticing. About what, she completely forgot as soon as an excited neighing reached her ears and the sound stopped, replaced by the steady patter of hooves and a familiar squealing.

"Link! Maeva!" Ooccoo Junior cried, whizzing around them before resting on Maeva's shoulder. "Where's Midna?"

Link pointed at his shadow, but she didn't spring out. "Must be asleep," he shrugged before smiling, "Hey, Junior."

Ooccoo perched herself on Link's head. "Gracious, those bublin love their warfare, don't they?"

"Turns out we make a pretty good team," said Gale, sitting on a cyclone beside Epona. "I distract them while Epona here stomps the stuffing out of them!"

Epona whinnied proudly, sidling up to her master, and set them on their merry way. Or not so merry, as it was noon and the heat was stifling. Since they could afford no ridiculous outbursts from the townspeople, Maeva remembered to wear the wrappings over her arms, legs, and stomach. The last time she changed them was months ago, when she'd still been stalking Zant's trail and salvaged these from the last village he overtook, so they were scratchy and partially undone at the edges. Link's apparel was much thicker, she supposed, but his was commissioned by the goddesses. It must be comfortable.

They entered the castle town with little resistance, save for a little girl wandering by who gave them curious stares. The residents seemed not to mind them, priorities on their own business, and if intrigued nobody stayed that way about them for too long. The capital was a melting pot for all kinds, swordsmen and panderers and their wares and refugees and merchants from the lowest castes to the high-ranking members of society, so the young man in ancient Hero's garb, the girl in trousers and linty bandages and their not-so-fragrant horse were not quite as much an attraction as she feared they would be.

Maeva almost wished the humans surrounding them were afraid of her so that they would stay away. Everywhere was so crowded, especially the bazaar end of town near Telma's Bar, that she could feel the sweat gathering over her elbow, down the nape of her neck, past her collarbone, between her chest as another rude group of men elbowed past her…

Seething, Maeva stopped in the middle of the way. People glanced at her oddly for a second, some shooting her irritated glares, but otherwise the flow of traffic was undisturbed; muttering curses she'd never heard before, they walked around her, and Link and Epona, who'd paused to watch her expectantly.

Still tired from playing the summoning reed, sweating in his Hero garb and hoping for some kind of respite from the suffocating amount of people present, Link only quirked an eyebrow.

She had to admit, that wasn't the reaction Maeva had expected from him. Still, she whirled, elbowing her way through the crowd without a care as to the manners her parents had drilled into her since birth. In any case, these people didn't seem to know the meaning of propriety, either.

"Maeva!" Link rasped, pulling Epona along to follow. Ooccoo, her son and Gale were in his Pocket where it was much more comfortable. For some reason, living things actually made it heavier, which didn't help his situation any. He caught up with her in a narrow alley with few people, though the tall pile of houses flanking it on one side cast a bluish shadow over them. Maeva was peeking into a window swathed in jewels and colored lights. Her nose was pressed against the dark glass and she stood on her toes like a child reaching for sweets on the highest shelf.

"Maeva," called Link, unable to help the gentleness his voice had taken, but when she ignored him, he spoke with a tone of voice that would make perhaps even the light spirits guilty. "Don't run off like that."

Maeva jumped, almost forgetting where she was. She resented that he could make her feel that way about a silly thing like this, but he wasn't wrong. It wouldn't do to lose him in the castle town, after all, given that she hardly knew the place. She should apologize, her parents would have said. "It was hot," however, was all she could come up with. "I…needed shade."

Link shook his head. She couldn't tell from his expression if he was going to smile and say it was all right or suddenly reprimand her, especially since he was using that Irrefutable Commander voice, the one that ordered her around when they saved Colin from King Bulblin.

"Papa! I found 'em!" said a scratchy voice.

Lumbering towards them were a Goron and his son, wearing wide smiles. "Link? Maeva?"

Link smiled, but with some apology. "Sorry…did we meet at the celebration?" He couldn't exactly tell them apart.

"No," the older one laughed. "But you know my father, brother! Gor Liggs? He sent me a letter saying you would find your way here…and asked me to make sure you were properly fed! Life in the castle town can be hard, after all, brother…"

"Are you really the heroes who saved our home?" asked the little Goron, violet eyes shimmering with adoration. "You're just like grandpa said you'd be!"

Maeva blinked down at him. "What did he say?"

Proudly, the boy said, "Link is a golden-haired, handsome young man with a pretty brown mare and Maeva is a grumpy but well-meaning girl in black!"

Grumpy? "Th…is is blue," Maeva muttered, looking down at her clothes, though her bandages were an off white. And, she thought, frowning at Link for his apparent amusement, she was not grumpy…

The boy only smiled, then walked around the two, obviously searching for something. "Where are your other companions? Grampa said an Ooccoo Junior would play with us."

"Now, son," said the Goron, gathering his son back to him and giving back their personal space, "we're here to help a brother. Is there any way we can help you, Link?"

"I'd like to rest, if you don't mind, dear!" said Ooccoo, pushing her way out of the Pocket. Junior followed suit, and Link pulled Gale out just in case she wanted some air (though he doubted she'd have trouble with that).

"Hi!" said Ooccoo Junior, floating near the young Goron's nose. "I'm Ooccoo Junior! Nice to meet you!"

"Papa, can we play?" asked the boy, tugging hastily at his father's sash.

The Goron pat his son's head without answering before turning to Link. "I can care for your friends, brother. Care to join us?"

"You go on ahead and find the Zora prince, dears," said Ooccoo, perching herself on the Goron's head. "Join us, Gale?"

"Right," said Midna, her voice shifting from Link's feet to Ooccoo's claws as his shadow touched hers for a second. "Go on! Maeva will find me when you've done it."

"How?" asked Link. Suddenly, the crowd seeping into the alley had thinned and they were alone.

The multi-colored lights of the small shop Link read as **Fanadi's Palace** danced in Maeva's eyes, but they were distant, reflecting more muted shades of a greater, truer court. "I pursued Zant after he destroyed my home. Midna saved me from him when he recaptured me," she spat, but he was surprised to note that it wasn't directed at him. "I am bound to her, in servitude. It gives me a sense of her presence that…I, alone, bear."

Link was taken aback by her willingness to speak with him cordially again, something she mistook as apprehension.

"You needn't worry," she said, rolling her eyes. "She may have taken you as a form of 'servant', but you don't share the bond we do."

Maeva pressed her lips together and stared at him, signaling the end of that conversation. Easily catching the cue, Link took her by the wrist and plunged into the crowd, pushing past the few denizens spilling into their side alley. Maeva thought to argue – she would rather not witness his reunion with Ilia – but she could always blame it on his crushing grip, if crushing in some other sense meant 'barely squeezing.' No one but she could blame it on her own morbid curiosity.

When they reached the Bar, Link pushed the door open. He glanced back at Maeva, parting his lips to speak, but she never heard the words. A little old man with a peculiar haircut that resembled Gor Coron's made his way to the door, yelling, "That is a Zora child! That is beyond my expertise!"

"But Doctor, if something isn't done, this child will…"

"Oh, sorry," said Link, smiling apologetically at the old man as they bumped each other, but the 'Doctor' only huffed.

Having been walking behind Link, Maeva bumped into his back and looked for the cause of offense. Maeva fixed a glare at the man. "How rude," she said, eyes following his small but prideful form up the stairs of the dark alley.

Link shook his head. "It's fine, really."

"I wasn't defending you…" she muttered, but Link was no longer paying attention. He'd seen Ilia, the girl with the forest eyes, and held out a hand as if to say hello, but she only sighed and turned away, back to the table with the Zora prince. Near the counter blocking the way to the establishment's alcoholic beverages, five Hylian soldiers stood by, watching with posture unbecoming of royal knights. Maeva scoffed. Fifty of these in the city would never stand against the Nine. But then, she thought bitterly, in the end it was one of their own who'd easily done away with them.

Arms akimbo, Telma clicked her tongue. Her hair glowed like dark fire against the candlelight. "This isn't good," she said. "The old coot reminded me, though – I've heard of a shaman in Kakariko Village, in the Eldin lands, who's tended Gorons and Zoras."

"Is that true?" Ilia asked hopefully, innocently blinking her big green eyes. Maeva felt sick all of a sudden.

"Inadvisable! Too dangerous!" one of the soldiers piped up, fixing his slouch. He gripped his lance as though it would give him credibility as a warrior. "But we can't turn a blind eye to a pretty girl in need, either." He nudged one of his fellows beside him.

"Yes, we'd better escort you!" the skinny one agreed, his armor clanking as he clambered to stand.

Maeva crossed her arms in an attempt not to roll her eyes. Link seemed to be enjoying the spectacle too much to interrupt and offer his aid.

"To reach Kakariko, we've got to cross two plains that are each infested by dangerous beasts," Telma explained to Ilia, much too slow and fearful to fit her perceived character. "But we'll be safe now, won't we—"

Maeva only froze and stood as still as she could as the soldiers turned to each other, all alarmed, before darting past her out of Telma's Bar. Their speed had certainly taken her by surprise.

"Cowards!" Telma bellowed after them. "Don't ever show your faces here again!" She might have looked genuinely angry if the curl of her lip didn't suggest that she had expected such a reaction. Her expression changed into one of surprise, however, when her eyes landed on the two standing by the doorway.

"Oh!" she grinned. "Looks like we've got two young fighters left. A swordsman and an archer?"

…

Telma half-coerced Link into aiding them, telling him to lend Ilia his strength in an almost threatening manner. Maeva didn't like it – she didn't know Link well enough to threaten him, which hadn't even been necessary.

_Their_ strength, she meant, clearly. Still, Telma's grit was to be admired in the face of changing times.

On the other hand, Ilia was a quiet girl compared to Maeva's usual companions; not that she stayed long enough to find evidence to counter her belief. As soon as Link agreed to escort the Zora prince, Telma clapped her hands and set them to preparing the caravan they would use to transport him to Kakariko. She had a friend who was indebted to her near the outskirts of town who could provide one, and sent Link to collect immediately.

Ilia had watched him go, but without a sliver of recognition. She looked at Maeva, then, almost curiously, but Maeva bolted out of the establishment before she could speak. When later asked, she would say she'd gotten into her mind to retrieve their companions within the castle town. Once out of sight from Telma's bar, however, she slowed her desperate sprint to a foolish halt and rested her back against the buildings' brick walls, bending forward to clench her knees. Being looked upon by that girl – it was almost painful, as though Link and Ilia were strokes in a perfect painting and she was an accidental smear of ink that could not be scrubbed away. And yet it wasn't Ilia who'd made her feel that way but her own inadequacy, her own imperfection in the face of those innocent eyes.

Maeva wriggled and nudged her way through the pushy townspeople, keeping her head high. Her shadow was the witness to the bond she'd sworn to share with Midna, but she felt their link pulse through her temples more than her feet. It grew stronger as she escaped the bazaar and the throng of constantly moving people spilled her into the Central Square. Some ways from the entrance to the castle was an inconspicuous brown door she wouldn't have noticed without the prodding of Midna's presence.

Ooccoo, Gale, and two Goron adults sat talking in a circle while Ooccoo Junior and two Goron children teleported around the area, a dank, dungeon-like building with a second floor landing. When Maeva closed the door behind her, Ooccoo Junior appeared at her side with a _pop_.

"Maeva!" he greeted as the Goron boys chortled with glee.

"Oh, hello, dear!" said Ooccoo, turning her eerie eyes to her.

"We found the prince," she announced, patting the children one by one before they left her alone. There had been days like that, when the Nine were celebrated guards and the people lined up on the streets to catch glimpses of them walking with the Princess or King. Their touch had been considered a blessing.

"Wonderful!" Gale said, the boomerang suddenly hoisted into the air on a cyclone. "Lead the way!"

"Aww," Junior and the Goron boys moaned, but Ooccoo and their fathers managed to separate them with the promise that they would play again. After thanking the Gorons for entertaining her companions, Maeva left with Ooccoo in her arms and Gale tucked under Ooccoo's wing. Junior was snoring in her pouch; being unaccustomed to all that playtime had exhausted him.

"You look rather sour-faced, Maeva," said Ooccoo. "Is something the matter?"

"It must be the heat," she replied, consciously fixing a neutral expression on her face. She hadn't realized she was frowning. "I feel fine."

"Do you mean 'I don't feel quite as good as I should because of the heat but I feel fine' or 'Link dear is being sweet again and I find it highly unsettling but I say I feel fine not to make you worry'?" asked Ooccoo, squawking over the crowd. Gale let out a small giggle that might have been unnoticeable if Maeva hadn't just gotten into the alley to Telma's bar. Within Ooccoo's shadow, she knew Midna had just snorted.

Shooting her companions a dirty look, Maeva sighed. "The first, of course. I have no idea where you took the second idea."

"Oh, you know—"

"Look at that, we're here!" Gale deftly interrupted, floating out of Maeva's arms to her side. "Why don't you get down from there, Ooccoo, so we can see this Zora prince for ourselves?"

"A wonderful idea!" agreed the noisy woman, and set herself on the ground. Maeva was still taken aback by her question, but the sight of Ooccoo's head bobbing unceremoniously as she walked – a thing she seldom did – was so amusing that she put it behind her and followed them into the bar with a restrained grin.

It fell almost immediately when she came into Ilia's presence, of course, but it wasn't something she could help. To distract herself from the fact that her companions immensely enjoyed the new company, Maeva even offered to carry supplies into the caravan outside town, where Link waited with Epona.

"Hey, Maeva," Link said with a wave when he saw her struggling with three baskets of food, two leaving marks on each arm fold and one clasped against her chest. "Let me help you with that."

She grunted in reply, depositing the baskets inside the caravan, leaving room in anticipation of where Ralis would lie and Ilia would tend to him. Link sat beside her on the edge of the wagon, cracking his knuckles and staring out into the naturally orange afternoon sky of Hyrule field. Zant's twilight glowed over the castle behind them, but Maeva tried not to let it dampen her spirits.

She only sat there to rest a little after fighting tooth and nail to get the baskets through the crowds unharmed and unsoiled; she hadn't asked for his company. But it wasn't so bad, she supposed, when he was silent. Admitting it was a farfetched idea, but something about Link's presence amidst so many humans gave her…comfort.

"Did you fetch the others?" asked Link.

"Yes," she answered, staring at her wiggling toes within the straps of her sandals. They felt oddly tingly, like her fingers, but to lessen the feeling she allowed the shadows at their tips let loose under her thighs where Link couldn't see them. "They're with Telma, Ilia, and the prince."

"Mm," Link nodded; at least, from the corner of her eye. "How are they?"

"Fine. Telma seems to have seen enough to accept their existence. Or did you mean Ilia?"

If he did, Link neither accepted nor denied it. "What do you think of her?"

Maeva clenched her fists by way of a reaction, digging her nails into the wood under her. She cringed slightly before shrugging and turning to face him. "She's…a good person," she said, blinking when she saw that he'd already been looking at her. It made her feel indignant in some manner, but she brushed it off in favor of answering his question without faltering. Why would she falter, after all? She strained to say something besides _too generous, too kind, too pretty, too everything that isn't quite me_, but her mind drew a blank. "She's a good person."

Link chuckled at the repetition as though he knew the reason behind it – not that he did – but he was accustomed to masking his confusion with a smile. "That's Ilia."

A 'hm' of acknowledgment rose from her throat, but her lips remained sealed. It was better that way, she supposed. "Shame she lost her memory."

Maeva groaned inwardly. She had been trained to keep her mouth shut and speak only when necessary. After Zant usurped the throne, she'd begun to find that more difficult. And she always ran her mouth in Link's company. It was ungraceful and she could only chalk it up to her discomfort at…at being trumped by a ranch hand at being a hero.

The thought of that should have been infuriating, motivating, even, but it only seemed hackneyed to her now. She lost control in the face of real danger and Link hadn't…as much, more times than she could count, and that was why he was the Hero. It was unfair…

"Yeah." Link's voice drew her out. "Have you ever – has anyone ever failed to recognize you like that?" He looked away for a moment, snorting at himself. "I know, it's stupid, and it rarely happens, but…"

_Small and stubby like the rest who were not members of the Nine, they glanced up at her with fear, bewilderment, and detachment that broke her heart. _

"No," Maeva answered, pushing herself to stand. Pointing stiffly to the town gates, she said, "I should return. There are still blankets, supplies to be gathered. And beverages Telma wished to take."

Link's dismayed expression corrected itself into one of agreement. "Right, of course. Better hurry. We'll set out soon."

"I'd like to see you elbow your way through that awful bazaar, in a matter of seconds," Maeva muttered.

Link's face brightened. He was much more accustomed to her surly attitude than the stiff demeanor she just displayed. Whether she was trying to be friendly by answering his questions without huffing or simply cold as usual was beyond his understanding, no matter how he tried to analyze it, so this familiar side of her was almost better, if not slightly less painful. "We can switch places if you like," he said with a small grin. "I don't mind the crowds."

Maeva considered it, relaxed against the caravan without the burden of the Twilight in her line of vision, but in her mind's eye saw Link taking his time by trying to talk to Ilia and convince her to somehow regain her memories.

"No," she said again, narrowing his eyes at him, and stalked off.

…

Needless to say, Maeva was astounded. If his demeanor weren't so repellent, he might have been awe-inspiring, in some horrendous manner she could only attempt to fathom.

Since Zant's portal had eaten away at Eldin bridge, Telma was forced to take them to the Great Bridge. Maeva's memories of the place were awful and she could still smell the oil, even from afar. Sharing Epona, she and Link had almost crossed into the bridge without a thought, but 'sources' had informed Telma that a terrifying monster was guarding the bridge. The woman had almost laughed it off until she saw it herself, all beady red eyes and one horn and a half of him, bones still intact, apparently.

"King Bulblin is alive," Maeva wondered in disbelief.

A little ways from the Bridge was a small hill where they left the caravan, hidden from where King Bulblin made his rounds. He couldn't see the end of it, but Link was certain his men were waiting at the other end. Why he would choose to hold the front line here was a mystery, but if he'd known, somehow, that they were in Hyrule proper, then perhaps…

"You know that _thing_?" Telma shuddered, glancing back at the hill for a moment to make sure her young friend and the Zora boy were still there. King Bulblin and his loyal Lord Bullbo had almost come close enough to see them, smell them if their senses were better tuned – perhaps they'd been dulled by the river he should have fallen into – but turned back before they did.

Maeva let out a considerable sigh of relief while Link answered, "A little. We've come up against him before."

"Still up to it?"

"Sure," Link nodded, allowing Telma to walk ahead of them when they returned for the hill. When she was out of hearing distance, he said, "Maybe I'm wrong – but falling off a bridge usually makes for a permanent death, right?"

Maeva was taking deep breaths to convince herself they would come out of this unscathed. "Let's finish this," she said resignedly, but knew what Link had meant, though he himself may have not – Zant and his god always rewarded their followers generously.

Telma waited for them by the hill, crouching with a map unfurled at the base of her knees. She wished to discuss the path they would take past the Great Bridge of Hyrule, but Maeva thought it useless to have both of them listening – she was certain that either Telma or Link would stay conscious for the entire duration of the trip, and decided to check on the caravan.

The Zora boy was still asleep. Or unconscious; she could never be certain. His breathing was ragged and his skin froze to the touch, but if Zora were water-people, she wondered whether or not that was an improvement or simply something natural. Maeva hadn't specialized in medication, after all, or even truly combat – as the closest to Midna, she and Zant had been assigned as her advisors despite her place as the third youngest of the Nine. In retrospect, she should have chosen throne room duty with Rell and left her position to one more capable of speaking against Zant, like Rabor.

"Oh, hello. Are we going to move now?"

The caravan bounced as she jumped in shock at the sound of Ilia's voice. The girl had been still in her prone form perpendicular to Ralis, so Maeva had assumed she was already asleep. Catching herself, Maeva stood and dusted off her clothes, picking off an invisible piece of lint from her arm bandages. "No," she replied, feigning absentmindedness. "Telma and Link are merely discussing plans. We've a great obstacle to pass before we set off again. Until then…"

"I can't seem to sleep," said Ilia, knowing what she would suggest next. Rubbing her eyes and sitting up, she sighed. "I guess I'm nervous. I've never been outside the castle town..."

Maeva stared at the girl. Did she want words of comfort?

Sensing reluctance, Ilia pressed on. "…What's your name?"

If Maeva continued to stare, it wasn't her intention to be rude. That she and Ilia would speak wasn't an event she had ever imagined. They were from such different worlds – to Maeva, Ilia was that dream, that memory the children of Ordon admired and loved, that girl Link was destined to rescue. And in the stories about Heroes and damsels and usurping traitors, the damsel always…

"Maeva," she answered. "You're Ilia."

Maeva groaned inwardly. Yes, stating the obvious showed such intelligence. Surely, Ilia would tell Link of this foolishness as soon as she recovered her memory. They must have been great friends; the two of them, and Fado, too.

"I'm sorry we weren't introduced before. It's just that this Zora boy needed help and I wasn't…" Ilia pursed her lips and shook her head, turning her attention to the Hero's Bow on strapped to her back. . "Anyway, you're an archer, aren't you? I wish I could fight like you, Maeva."

Maeva blinked. Ilia only glanced away in frustrated resignation. "All I can—"

Heavy steps padded down to the caravan, hushing Ilia. Telma appeared from behind Maeva, giving her shoulder a quick tap. "We're good to go, archer," she said, then tilted her head at the side of Ilia. "Get to sleep, honey. It's still a long journey."

Neighing as if in greeting, Epona sauntered into view, nudging Maeva's patting hand with her nose. Mounted comfortably on her saddle, Link asked softly, "Ready to go, Maeva?", but his voice grew louder at the sight of his waking friend. "Oh—hello, Ilia."

"Hello," said the girl, giving him a polite nod. Lines of sleep from her pillow still marked her cheek, but Maeva wondered with a distinct curl of her lip why it made her look only more youthful. At that moment, she wanted only to bury her face into Epona's glinting mane, plunge her nose into that pastural smell so that it would overtake all her senses and perhaps even her ears, perhaps even that image of the two looking at each other at all. It made her feel displaced, that she should sit between them who had known each other all their lives, made her want nothing more than to return to her place with the Nine. She and Rabor had never felt for each other what the rest had hoped, but for some reason, now, she would give anything for her companions here to see him hanging on her arm.

Or, she thought after Epona shifted from her, snapping from her thoughts, she could take Ralis's place and be happily unconscious instead.

It wasn't to be, however, and Maeva was forced to endure. She had endured more than this – the sensation of the carving of flesh, of betrayal, of near-starvation and utter dehydration and complete and total helplessness – but they all seemed far away in the face of the dreadful task.

"I-If you don't mind me asking… What's your name?" Ilia continued.

"Link," he said, smiling. Maeva wanted to take that and crumple it and stomp all over it on the ground and feel good about it, but as it was she could only think of Gale, Ooccoo and Junior. That smile of the Steadfast Hero, it was meant for them, to take their uncertainties in his fists and open his palms to reveal hope and confidence, to turn them against _her_. Hadn't he realized this over the past few nights? For those three; not for Ilia.

And then the girl uttered his name, _Link_, repeated it, like she was turning it over her tongue and to Maeva Ilia made it sound like something that had become all her own, and she was slapped sharply with remembrance that Link had belonged to Ilia – and _Fado_ – long before merely nights ago. It was a humbling thought, to the point that Maeva forgot to question why the throbbing ache in her chest felt so much like envy.

"I will never in all my life forget your kindness, Link," Ilia finished, but Maeva was no longer listening, nor did she care that Telma was watching her with a peculiar expression on her face as she stalked away from their caravan to search for something that had been _her_ own – that repulsion, that fear of King Bulblin. No one could take that away from her.

...

When she caught his full figure across the span of the Great Bridge, Maeva almost wished she were wrong.

After witnessing his fall from the Eldin Bridge, she was certain he'd be weaker, much easier to battle, but she was always too stubborn to learn that her optimism would cause her downfall. Bulblin's gaze still sent a menacing shiver crawling through her skin.

Link felt her body tense around his and stiffened slightly, but Maeva appeared not to notice. Resting a hand on her clenched fists, he nodded, half-turning only to speak. "We've defeated him before. Nothing to worry about."

Maeva sat up and squared her shoulders, hindered only by her hands locking around his waist. "Of course not," she said sharply. "Although his change in armor might be of note."

King Bulblin had lost his tiny pieces of armor in their last encounter and was forced to improvise with two large, round shields covering each shoulder, the material tougher than ten times what he'd worn before. Still, Link was calm. "Smart. Don't worry – we'll find a way around it."

A natural wind picked up around the bridge. It blew the tip of Link's hat in her face. She would complain, but that might set Bulblin off and start their encounter prematurely. Maeva tilted her head out of the hat's way.

"Stop tilting to the side, Maeva."

It was the Irrefutable Commander in his voice again, the same tone that carried them safely across Hyrule Field into the Eldin Bridge. Maeva's nose scrunched up as she opened her mouth, but before she could fire her retort, her eye caught the reason behind Link's abrupt shift in demeanor.

Lord Bullbo was heading for them, one of King Bulblin's fists clasped tightly around his reins and the other on the shaft of his spear. What Maeva had found most fearsome about this monster was that she had never heard him speak. Even with Zant he had always spoken in murmurs, if he spoke any civilized language at all, and in their last battle he only smirked, red eyes flashing. She might have been comforted by a guttural war cry, at the very least, like he'd given when Link chopped half his horn off. His silence made his brutality seem so effortless.

"Duck!" Link yelled, but _he_ didn't. The Hero swerved to the side, thrusting his sword sideward, but it only glanced Bulblin's shield.

"What were you thinking?" Maeva shouted as Epona galloped for the opposite arch of the Bridge. Her mind briefly flitted to Gale and the others hiding near what was now Bulblin's end, but when her mind returned to battle she wondered why she had raised her voice at all. The din had been only in her thoughts.

As though he'd expected it, however, Link only said, "Use your Bow. Do you have enough accuracy to fire between his shields?"

It was a taunt. Link was _taunting_ her! Maeva knew, and yet she accepted it and twisted it into her own determination. "That you'd even think to question me," she started with a snarl, but wasn't given enough reprieve to continue.

"Now, Maeva!"

Maeva drew one of Din's arrows against the Bow's string and aimed. Epona's gait was steadier this time, as though she, like her master, had grown too accustomed to the monster and his great boar to feel any kind of panic. She wished she were as unaffected.

"Maeva! Shoot him, now!"

It was exactly why Bulblin needed to perish. Link's command swiped the blanket of terror that she'd drawn around herself and threw it to the wind. If not for the prince, then for the passed Seven, and all the people whose lives he'd stolen under the orders of an even crueler master. When Maeva released the arrow, aiming for Bulblin's chest, it landed on the thick mass of his neck, instead.

Maeva growled. Link said nothing disparaging, however, except "Good enough," and "Take my hand!"

Epona's reins laid plainly on Link's open palm. Maeva released him, digging her knees into his mare and clasping both hands around his right. Bulblin rode past them, still choking at the arrow in his neck. Strengthening his grip on Maeva's hand, Link swooped down with his left arm and dragged his blade across Bullbo's firm hide. The mount screeched, pivoting in all directions in an attempt to escape the pain, and smashed straight into the bridge.

Bulblin jerked forward over Bullbo's horns – there was a moment when he teetered of the edge and everyone sucked in their breath – and then he fell over, plunging into Lake Hylia. Bullbo took one glance at Epona, stomping her hooves and neighing in ridicule, before it bolted off the bridge as fast as its short legs could carry it.

"He'll alert the others!" exclaimed Maeva, hauling Link back, and fired arrows at the retreating boar to no avail.

"Nice!" said Telma, pulling the caravan beside them with her own horse. "I knew the moment I looked into your eyes—" she said to Link, when she reached them, "They're proud and wild, like a feral beast's. That's exactly what we need right now; to keep the true ones at bay."

Maeva was tempted to roll her eyes, but something clicked in her mind, surprising her enough to cause her to stifle a gasp and bite her tongue instead. She groaned, which Link mistook for one of exasperation. Back to being the Benevolent Leader, he said, "We should find somewhere to rest for the night, before the rest of his camp finds us."

"Right," Telma nodded with a serious countenance. "Lead the way, honey!"

As though she comprehended human speech perfectly, Epona trotted to the front of the party and quickened her pace as they came out from the Hylian Bridge, through a set of tall, rocky ridges that was common in Hyrule. They opened into the wide plains of Hyrule Field, and followed the mountain ranges leading to Kakariko. When the moon was high enough to cast a shadow over them, Link stopped close to a coppice growing against the steep incline.

"This should be a good spot, honey," Telma agreed, stepping down from the caravan. Patting her horse as his head drooped, she took a sleeping bag from the caravan and spread it out over the ground.

"All right, then," said Link, his voice raspy. The weight on his back was almost as heavy as his shadow when Midna felt some intense emotion. That was new; he didn't think Maeva liked to be seen as dependent on him in any way; and she'd been surprisingly quiet since that stint on the bridge. He felt a little guilty about shouting at her, but he knew she'd frozen upon seeing Bulblin and needed a good nudge. Was she angry with him?

"Maeva? Whoa—" Link turned and caught her by the arm before she fell over completely. Epona tilted in the opposite direction to help them stay aloft.

"The archer's asleep," Telma laughed at him as though he couldn't see it. "Understandable. Besides Ashei, I don't see too many girls fighting anymore."

"We've been awake since dawn," Link explained quietly, feeling almost like he was on the defense. Sliding off Epona slowly, he allowed Maeva to lean on the horse's mane until he could prepare her sleeping bag and drag her off slowly. She jerked sharply when her feet touched the ground. "There, there," he said, laying her down. When he brushed the black strands of hair off her face, Maeva gave a loud snore.

Epona nickered in a manner he recognized as both amusement and irritation. She must already have been falling asleep.

"Sorry, girl, we're all tired," he laughed, telling himself it wouldn't do to fall asleep on the ground and forcing himself to rise. That and Maeva would probably have nasty things to say in the morning if she saw him next to her. Taking his own sleeping bag, he laid it four paces from hers, deciding to keep his boots on, and closed his eyes.

…

Maeva stirred at the familiar sound of breathy cackling. She had thought it was the beginning of a nightmare when the focus of her dream shifted so that she felt detached from it, a feeling with which she was too accustomed – at least in the days when her friends crept into her room and snuck her out with only mischief on their minds.

"Bulblins." The word sounded clear out of her mouth, a state that mirrored her mind. Darting upright, she saw the unfamiliar setting of the rocky mountains to her left and plains to her right. Her last memory was lost at the moment, but Maeva allowed it to pass. Not so far from them, she recognized a bulblin scout, slowly drawing an arrow on his bow. Her hands shook in surprise and sudden helplessness – but only for a second, and then her instincts kicked in with a vengeance and the Bow was in her hands, one of Din's arrows whistling across the field and landing square in the monster's chest.

It was all quiet in Hyrule Field, again, until Maeva could no longer stand the pounding in her temples and she understood why.

"Bulblins!" The adrenaline pumped through her legs as in her head, arms, fingers. Maeva scrambled to her feet, ignoring her throat, dry from sleep. Shaking Link's leg repeatedly, she cried, "They've found us! Wake up, all of you! Bulblins!"

Link shot upright, pulling his hat over his head and rolling up his sleeping bag in a matter of seconds. The way he moved, it was almost as if he'd foreseen it, but his wide eyes betrayed his alarm. "I'll wake Telma, you get the sleeping bags!"

Maeva could only nod as Link tossed her his Pocket. She stuffed their items inside without a thought as to how they would look later. When her attention refocused on the rest of their party, only Ralis was still unconscious.

"What do we do?" Ilia gasped, looking at her through the window. "Shouldn't we start moving?"

"Let's get to it! Come on, Link! Maeva!" Gale shouted, spinning into Maeva's hands.

"That's the plan, honey," replied Telma, breathless as she roused her horse and climbed into her seat on the caravan. "Are we ready?"

"When their scout doesn't return, they'll know where to find us," said Maeva, motioning for Link to nudge Epona forward. Gale buzzed impatiently in her palm. "There will surely be packs of them waiting near Kakariko – a confrontation seems inevitable. If we can make it to the village before they catch up, the Gorons might aid us!"

It felt even sooner; when the caravan's wheels began knocking against their spokes, Bulblin's men appeared out of nowhere, lighting their arrows aflame and goading on their boars, as bloodthirsty as Maeva remembered them.

It should have been easier – with her experience with Epona's quickest pace, she should have been able to fire at them easily, but it seemed like they were everywhere. Every time she and Link sent a horde of boars and their riders running off their track, twice their number came riding back! And the little monsters had bombs – in Kakariko, Link and Barnes had trained Epona not to fear them, but Telma's was a generally shy horse, and he whinnied, cried fearfully when the bombs were thrown their way.

Minutes into their retreat, hot smoke wafted into Maeva's nose. She dismissed it as all the explosives at first, but bomb smoke faded relatively quickly and gray air had begun to drift around her. And then there was that awful sound – it brought to mind that one village to which Zant and King Bulblin had laid waste, and Zant said it was for their own good. At the time, Maeva had reasoned to herself that they must have done something to upset Zant, that he was doing it to protect Midna when he allowed her to make her first arrival in the light realm, but she understood later, when she was tracking him alone with much time for reflection, that she'd already known he was evil. And that she was a coward.

It was Ilia, screaming for help.

"Gale!" Link shouted, swerving dangerously low to hack at a bulblin, "Get that fire out! Go!"

"I've got it," replied the fairy, her boomerang humming with magic. "Give me a hand, Maeva!"

Gale spun continuous circles around the moving caravan until the flames died out, at which point the caravan had caught aflame again.

"Maeva, the bulblin behind us!" Link demanded, in Maeva's opinion, as he turned Epona around so she could aim.

"I _am_ firing!" she shouted. "I'm shooting as many as I can; there are too many of them!"

Just then, Link realized, there was something missing from his line of sight. The caravan.

Despite Telma's attempts to calm her horse, his terror could not be allayed, and he'd run them off course. At this point, they should have passed a stream in sight that served as a checkpoint – they were only a few hours to the village now, how long had they been riding? – but turned back instead.

"What do they want from us?" Link asked Maeva, not Irrefutable Commander harsh; rather more like an Exasperated Innocent, if she said so herself.

"It must be a personal vendetta against you," she answered with a cough, refraining from touching her hoarse throat, and only continued to pull arrows from Din's quiver. "Because you defeated Bulblin. These things crave power – to see you defeat their leader is a blow to their pri—no!"

Clearly, one of them had thought their situation couldn't get any worse – because it did. Telma's horse had taken such a sharp turn that the caravan was unable to keep up with it and tipped over, instead. Epona galloped over, Link and Maeva dismounting and attempting to heave it upright. They succeeded, but had lost the little distance they once held against the bulblin horde.

"Keep firing," Link said to Maeva, who realized that her quiver should have run out of arrows in what felt like hours ago. "Ooccoo Junior," he called out, rushing to the caravan, and was out of earshot.

Maeva's vigor was renewed at the thought that one of the light realm's goddesses might be helping her win this battle, though it seemed impossible, and she climbed up on Epona's back without so much as a nudge from Link. Belatedly, she would realize that this great equestrian ability came only during intense moments of panic, but Maeva remained proud for the time being and fired at a rate that shocked even her. The monsters fell, but they were hardly a small lot. Before it could register, their party was already surrounded.

"Oh, no," Telma and Ooccoo agreed.

"What do we do?" asked Ilia, trembling inside the caravan. She wished now more than anything that she could give more than just her prayers.

"If we're going to die," said Gale, steeling herself in Link's pocket, "might as well go out with a _bang_, my mother would always say."

Maeva glanced at Link for his reaction, but he stared only blankly into the horizon – had he already accepted their fate? He couldn't – he was the Hero, wasn't he? And yet his inaction gave her pause, so that the inflection in her tone betrayed her almost-resignation. "Did she really say that?"

"Don't give up, Gale! Maeva!" Ooccoo Junior exclaimed, flitting over Link's head. "Now, Link?"

The bulblins closed in on them, the grins on their faces mirror images of their lord's ruthlessness as they hefted their bows and swords and spears into the air – at least until Link whipped his head to his side. "Now, Junior!"

Grunting with effort, Ooccoo Junior flew as fast as he could around their party and teleported them to the stream where they were meant to be, just as an arrow hit Epona's front leg.

She neighed painfully, rearing up, and threw Maeva out of the circle Ooccoo Junior had created in his spinning.

Her back ached, but Maeva understood what had happened. It wasn't anybody's fault, she realized, except the bulblins'. Her arms were burning and she wanted to set them down, but all Maeva could remember was that throne room. After her parents had perished, Zant proceeded to turn each and every being inside into one of his shadow beasts, and they had cornered her in much the same way. Of course, Midna almost escaped then, and she'd accepted death as her penance, until –

The bulblins were within arm's reach. Replacing the Bow with her staff, she jabbed at them as hard as she could, to keep their sharp weapons as far from her as possible. A loud _no_ that sounded suspiciously like a hero chosen by the gods reached her ears, but it seemed like an illusion as the unintelligible murmur of the horde engulfed her senses.

_"Kill…" they repeated, over and over again as they struggled, tearing at her hair. But they were new to their strength and she subdued them easily. When she thought she could hold them no more, they said it again. Clearly this time. "Kill…us…"_

_With a cry that tore through her throat, Maeva ran her staff through them both before they could escape her. "I'm sorry," she cried, "I'm so sorry."_

Maeva's grip tightened. As she turned, swinging and kicking and keeping them at bay still, circular stones blinking red under the bulblins' feet passed her sight, but she overlooked it. Link was running towards her, sword held out with his left hand while the other waved, motioning for her to come to him. But she couldn't leap without a running start.

"Maeva!" Gale appeared at her side, blowing all those closest to her away with a harsh wind. "Come on, I'll blow and you push forward!"

"Gale," Maeva muttered calmly, "it's – I've accepted. You don't need to—"

The boomerang hit her sharp across the face. "By the _goddesses_, you're dramatic! Link left bombs – you're going to _die_!"

Snarling, the fallen bulblins rose to their feet. On the empty spaces around her lay bombs, shifting between bright red and black. Eyes widened, Maeva turned to Gale. "Oh—"

This was beginning to become a habit.

Flying back and tumbling into a heap on the ground, Maeva saw the flames and smoke erupt. The shell of the explosives and grass and dirt whipped around her face, but once again – she remained unaffected. No shadows had come to her aid; it was only very cold, her vision blurry. Perhaps she _was_ dead – which might explain the feeling – but she could hear her heart pounding in her ears, her hands tingling from the rush of almost-death.

Reaching out for the blur, Maeva realized it was wind. Gale fell to her lap and the cyclone shielding her from the blast dissipated, leaving only smoke and small wisps of flame on the bulblins sprawled on the ground, bloody if not dying.

"Maeva!" Link called out, briefly coughing as he attempted to wave the smoke away. He tripped over a bulblin but caught himself right as he saw her. "Maeva," he said, crouching before her, "Are you…?"

"Yes," she answered, but only absentmindedly. Her attention was on the soot-covered boomerang in her hands. "Gale – you came back for me." She hadn't expected Link to try the same, either, at least not in such a hopeless situation, but Maeva had seen his effort. It was appreciated, she supposed, even if he was only doing his job. But Gale rarely tried to get along with her as he did, so the gratitude Maeva felt for what she'd thought was only a chatty fairy was amplified.

Gale's voice was tired; she was exhausted from such a concentrated use of magic, but there was a smile in her tone. "You'd…have done no less for…a friend, either."

If she had a little more energy Maeva would beam at the thought of being friends with a fairy – from what Zelda had told her, the Hero of lore had a fairy for a dear friend, too – she could just nod as it was, however. She tried lifting the boomerang to Link, but her arms were like lead. Maeva's fingers only twitched.

"Okay, come on," Link beckoned humorously, but grunted when he scooped her up into his arms. She might protest, but the sudden burst and now fading of energy left her ready to keel over if she had to stand any more. He lifted her onto Epona, who took her unsupported weight graciously.

"Is she all right?" Ilia asked worriedly from the caravan. "When I saw it explode, I thought—"

Link smiled weakly just at that – the _thought_. "She's only tired."

"Don't worry, Ilia," said Ooccoo Junior, hopefully. "When Maeva wakes up, we can all play together. Right, mama? And Gale, too!"

"Sure, honey," Telma replied for Ooccoo, who only nuzzled her son's head quietly against her own beside the imposing woman.

Link moved at a moderate pace, to give the horses a rest, before moving quickly again. They dared not stop another time, but no more bulblins came for them while the moon paved the way to Kakariko Village.

Maeva tried to keep her eyes open, but some invisible force kept pulling them shut to the point that she could almost see things the more she struggled to stay awake.

Link reached down for Maeva's left hand, still stuck in the clenched position it held around the Bow's arch. He pried her fist open with his fingers and pressed down on the crook between her thumb and index, kneading diligently. He was glad she was too tired to resist him, because this was one thing where he was determined to have his way.

When she finally surrendered and shut her eyelids, Maeva felt some weight over her palm – _fitting_, it flit across her mind – then temporarily deserted the world in peaceful slumber.

…

In times like this, Maeva wished she'd never felt happiness in Kakariko at all.

They had saved the village, aided Death Mountain, and she'd been a hero, if only for a little while. And then there was that celebration with Gor Liggs and the others, where she'd kept to herself but, admittedly, enjoyed the company and laughter of those present. She had felt happy in Kakariko Village only days ago.

Upon their arrival that midnight, they were greeted with warm familiarity, but all the pleasance dissipated as soon as Ilia stepped out of the caravan. The air was thick with tension, worry, and a helplessness she had associated with anywhere but the small village in Eldin. Now it was just like everywhere else.

Malo and Talo were still asleep, as was Barnes, but Colin and Beth had found they couldn't rest until they spoke with Ilia again. To their dismay, she didn't rush to them, suffocating them in her embraces and nagging them about keeping safe or some other maternal worry, but chalked it up to her concern for the Zora boy. After all, Beth insisted, Ilia was selfless like that. Link was only silent. Maeva understood the pain of a beloved looking upon them as a stranger, but even that wasn't Ilia's fault.

She was an angel, of course. Ralis continued his labored breathing, muttering about his mother in his half-conscious state on the same cot where Colin had recovered after the bulblin attack, and industriously the girl stroked his forehead with some wet cloth. Luda had seen Maeva's inquisitive glance and explained that it was supposed to lower his fever – at least according to Renado, who was still perusing his small library for the correct procedure for taking away whatever ailed the child.

"I hope he'll be all right," said Colin, pacing behind Ilia.

"Don't worry, Colin," Beth and Luda soothed in unison. The girls snapped their heads at each other, but smiled when they met eyes and turned to the boy again. "Renado," said Beth, "My father," said Luda, "will do something."

Maeva would find amusement in their silent bickering at such a young age if the premonition of the Zora child's reaction – whether or not he allowed them to see it – upon learning of Rutela's death didn't haunt her. Even Link didn't entertain the children, preferring to speak in hushed whispers with Renado in the adjacent room. Finding no purpose in the shaman's hut, Maeva rose from her spectator's window sill and stepped out.

It wouldn't rain soon, but clouds smothered the night sky over Kakariko, preventing the moon from reaching for the dry earth. The atmosphere was still, not even bugs chirping, as though they were all waiting for something terrible to happen. Waiting outside, Epona impatiently nickered in greeting.

"Hello," she said, reaching up to touch the mane between the mare's eyes before dropping her arm. It was still heavy. As though Epona understood her pain, she nuzzled her head against Maeva's arm. She is going to eat your arm, something told Maeva, but she pushed it to the back of her mind and closed her eyes.

"You know, archer, I don't think I caught your name."

Telma stood before her, arms akimbo. She was almost as tall as Renado, Maeva suddenly realized.

"Maeva," she answered. Although, thought the archer, Link had mentioned her name many times. Perhaps what the woman meant was that they had never been formally introduced. Just as well – speaking without knowing the name of the person spoken to was considered downright rude where she'd hailed from.

Telma tilted her head at Maeva in scrutiny. "All right, then, Maeva. I'm going out on a limb here, but am I wrong if I say you don't know Ilia?"

"I don't," Maeva confirmed. "I came into Link's company after the Ordonians were separated."

"Ordonians, huh?" Telma appeared to store the information in her mind. The girl spoke like she'd only known the Ordonian children for days. "I don't know if you hear this often, but I've had patrons from all around the world – warriors, bards, thieves, nobles, even. But I've never seen anyone with your markings – or your staff."

Maeva instinctively froze. Her next course of action in this case was to run, in case Telma had hidden a torch and pitchfork somewhere in her dress, but the older woman did no such thing. She only mistook Maeva's apprehension as coldness, but she was never one to be turned away. Working at her bar had helped her develop her skills in coercion. "So where are you from, Maeva?"

At the sound of her name, she returned to her senses. "Oh, you've—probably never heard of it."

"Try me."

Ever since she discovered why they'd needed to save Colin from King Bulblin, Maeva had liked the young lad. When he exited Renado's hut at a slow pace, his head hung, she felt remorse, because she couldn't help but be grateful for his presence. He locked onto her with a dejected slump of his shoulders.

"Maeva…" he started, "Is it true – about Ilia's memory? I overheard Link and Renado—"

Two taller figures followed him outside, both watching him with apologetic expressions. "Yes," Renado answered for her. "She has lost her memory, Colin. Regaining it will be no simple task – but it will be all right, child. If we just give her some time, I am certain that Ilia will find her heart again. Don't you think so, Maeva?"

All eyes on her, but she had grown considerably comfortable under Renado's gaze ever since he made her feel like a hero. "Yes," she answered, steeling her voice for Colin, though it depended more on the shaman's prognosis than her personal opinion. And if asked for the latter, she wasn't even certain about what she would say.

"You're right. I'll stay with her and the boy until they're better – no matter how long it takes!" said Colin, hopefully, and Maeva didn't doubt that Luda and Beth would swoon at his determination. She knew she admired him for it.

"Right," Telma cleared her throat, "Link, can I get a word?"

"Sure," he nodded, patting Maeva's shoulder as he brushed past her. She watched him go with a sour expression, wondering partly what made him think that was acceptable, and partly why she wasn't as infuriated as she thought she would be. Telma spoke to him some paces away, but Maeva noticed that her gaze was fixed on Renado. It was curious and she might have pondered on it a little more had the man in question not turned to her meaningfully as well.

"I've found the items I require for the child. I keep them in the Inn's storage room for safekeeping – might you accompany me, Maeva?"

Telma had been speaking of some sort of Resistance in the bar and a passageway into the castle through it when she stopped abruptly. Her eyes narrowed at something behind Link, who was only too polite to look.

"Is something the matter, Telma?"

"Oh, it's nothing, honey – but you and that Maeva girl – there's something between you, isn't there?"

If it was possible for Link's eyes to pop out of their sockets, they would. "Wh—at? We're–not–"

Telma couldn't help but smirk. It unnerved her that he should feel more fear for the question than a monster on a giant pig that could tear them to pieces, but then she'd meant it when she said he possessed the eyes of a beast. "Well," she said, sounding an awful lot like Ooccoo, "you should. If you want to. She seems like a nice girl."

Link's shocked expression shifted into one of suspicion, and then undiscernable detachment. "Sorry, Telma," he said blankly. "But what's between me and Maeva – I don't think it's any of your business."

Telma blinked. "Oh—of course," she said, replying only with a sweet smile. Damage control was her specialty, though she couldn't say his response wasn't startling. Still, she'd gotten the answer she wanted to hear. "Sorry I brought it up, honey. Now, as I was saying…"

"I must thank you again for taking care of the bulblins outside the village. They've tried to attack us since you left, and we've only kept them at bay with the aid of the Gorons," said Renado, turning around to face Maeva once he reached the kitchen at the lower floor of the Inn. Upstairs, she could hear the incoherent chatter of Gale and Ooccoo, who seemed ignorant to their arrival.

"Link provided them with a challenge. Threats are not welcome to the bulblins, who crave absolute dominance," Maeva replied, though the stiff manner in which she stood by the door told Renado that she still wondered why he took her with him in the first place.

Renado sighed. "I didn't wish to tell Link – curing Ilia's amnesia will be more than difficult."

"If impossible, why mention it at all?"

"Not impossible," said the shaman, pacing the kitchen, collecting seemingly insignificant flasks and setting them down on the counter. "But Ilia will need more than just familiar faces to recover her memories. Something she once owned, perhaps, that meant much to her. Link bears a connection to the girl and may be disheartened at the news – but you share a bond with him, as well, and you might ask Link in a manner that will not worry him."

A bond with Link? Maeva didn't notice herself scratching at the back of her head. Absurd. This was an issue among the humans. It shouldn't involve her, but perhaps it was already too late for that. "Link is a grown man," she said almost spitefully before remembering Mayor Bo's parting words to her. _Swear that you'll take care of him, lass._ A sigh of resignation. "I can't promise anything – but I will ask Link if there exist such items."

Renado nodded gratefully. "I am sorry to put more on your shoulders, Maeva. I know you still grieve for the scourging of your own land – our now empty village has suffered the same fate. Know that we are all friends here; you are welcome to stay with us, always, though you might already have Link."

Maeva highly doubted their loved ones suffered the same fate, but his ignorance was her fault. "Thank you." She inclined her head slightly, biting her lip about anything that had to do with his last words. "The friendship of Kakariko village is much appreciated. Know…that the Twilight will soon be over."

A smile parted Renado's lips. "Your—"

"You two sure are taking your time, aren't you?" Telma laughed jovially as she and Link entered the Inn. "Maeva, you should probably get some rest." Thumping her companion on the back, she added, "Link, too."

"I have kept you long enough," Renado told Maeva, exchanging with her a knowing glance. "In any case, I should return to the Zora child."

"We'll walk you out," Link offered, standing by the kitchen archway. Telma walked beside Renado, barring Maeva's way, but the younger female did nothing but watch. After they bid the adults good night, Maeva remembered why Telma's actions were so familiar. They reminded her of how Zant had always hovered near Midna.

When his companion made no move to re-enter the Inn, Link leaned against the railings supported by the front porch. "Telma offered us her help in case we ever needed it in the castle town," he began, stealing a glance at her. Maeva kept her back straight as she clenched the railings, and Link wondered if she noticed the lessened hardness of her palm. "She offered us a place in this Resistance, too. If we wanted – against Zant, you know."

Maeva shrugged. There was nothing any human could do against Zant, save for Link, at least. He should have known this, and yet he stretched the silence to a point that she looked at him. Link stared back at her expectantly, and then it dawned on her that he was waiting for her to share her conversation with Renado, as well. A secret in exchange for another – who'd have known that Ooccoo and Gale's gossipy qualities would pass on to him? Then again, she had also been curious—

Goosebumps made both of them shiver to the core, but it was neither a feeling of repugnance or pleasure; it felt more like a greeting.

"Queen Rutela," Link uttered, the light of her spirit reflecting in his eyes.

Maeva whirled to see her floating above them, a gentle smile replacing her once worried features. With a wave of her hand, they knew at once to follow her.

Maeva's kind didn't bury their dead. When they expired, she believed was the Hylian term, their dark bodies melted into the shadows and seeped back into the nothingness of their realm. Their glowing markings, however, did not fade; infused in them were their souls, which flashed about the city until they found the realm's Sols, where they would forever be peaceful.

Headstones lined equidistant from each other dominated the first half of the graveyard, after which they stood scattered on an uneven mound of soil. It seemed as though the the air of death in the area had affected the land as well – the atmosphere was even drier here.

But Queen Rutela floated past the man-carved stones and brought them to the edge of the graveyard, where a wall of rock and trees blocked their way. At the center was a stone with the Zora insignia carved perfectly into its face.

"This must be where the treasure she spoke of is buried," said Maeva, but Link made a sound of protesting rumination.

"She's still beckoning," he said, motioning to the spirit. She shook her head and continued to wave towards herself. "I think…excuse me."

Maeva quirked a brow as Link move past her to stand beside the Zora rock. Pressing his hands against it and bending his knees in anticipation, he pushed until it rolled off to reveal a small crawlway that led behind the wall.

A small lake within was surrounded in green – trees, bushes, moss growing on the formations that resembled natural pillars – like it had taken all the life of the land behind it for the one who rested there. Across the patch of land on which they stood was an elegant tombstone, twice their size, shaped and colored in the fashion of a Zora fin. The Queen waited for them beside it.

Before Link could look at Maeva with something like pity (at least, that was what she surmised), she stood behind him and tugged at his shield. When he turned around to ask why, "to float," was her answer, so cooperatively Link shrugged it off before diving into the water.

"I'm proud of you, Maeva," he said with a smile, taking her hand and pulling her up before she could grab the ledge. She gasped for air, having momentarily sunk into the water, but reached out for Link's other arm and later sat with her palms touching the full ground.

"I…" Maeva dipped her hand into the water clean again before slicking her hair back from her face. "I learned how to float by myself," she replied. Her relief muddled whatever message she was trying to send – if she'd meant to insult him or was only telling a fact, he had no idea.

When Maeva stood, dignity reacquired, Queen Rutela spoke. "You were right to bring my son to Kakariko Village – it is a sacred place for the Zora people – where we take our eternal rest, and for that I am grateful to you. My husband in life, King Zora, also rests his spirit here; it is no coincidence that our son found salvation in this place."

"Had your people possessed the power to, they would have done the same," Link replied, inclining his head. Maeva didn't know how he could be so calm in the face of a spirit, and a Queen's one at that. How did spirits even choose not to rest first? Had her own parents been given the choice – would she have, if she'd died on the way to Kakariko?

The Zora queen only smiled. "That which I have promised you is within this grave. During his lifetime, my husband created garments specifically for the chosen hero, garments that house the abilities of the Zora. We were not aware at the time that the goddesses would send two heroes. Often, in the legends, there exists only one."

Maeva swelled with pride, but felt almost like a fraud just the same. It wasn't something she wished to recognize before Link; however, it seemed as though Rutela could see through anything. "I am not a _chosen_ hero."

"Nevertheless," said Rutela, eyes shining like mothers of pearl, "you need only use either the helm or the rest of the armor to acquire our abilities. Go ahead – take it."

"We couldn't," said Maeva, the appreciation overwhelming her voice. Clearing her throat, she added, "Your husband is interred here; the stone may not look the same as it was."

"Your worry is unnecessary," Rutela allayed her apprehensions. "My King is buried much deeper than stone. The armor he crafted lies just beneath the surface. Please, take it."

Link knelt down immediately and clasped his hands around the tile beneath the headsone, pulling as hard as he could. He had expected too much; the tile was weakly connected to the ground, and he almost fell back into the water from the excess momentum of putting force on a light object. Under it lay a small box containing the Zora armor.

Link displayed it to Rutela and Maeva: an intricate design symbolic to the Zora was carved into the bronze helm, after which the end of a blue hat not unlike his own spread out, only it had a visor to shield the eyes and nose from water. The upper tunic of the armor was stitched with hardy Zora scales instead of mail, a black cloth from the mouth down to the collarbone that served as means for breathing in the water, and flippers resembling the webbed feet of the Zora race.

"And this will work," asked Maeva, inspecting the helm in her hands, "even without the rest of the armor?"

"Indeed," Rutela answered patiently. "It is the magic my husband crafted into the garments.

"Now," she continued, "at last, I can join my king in slumber. And yet…my son…" It was the first tone of uncertainty Maeva had ever seen any Queen allow enter her voice, and yet it felt natural to Maeva, as though it befit the person of Prince Ralis's mother. "My son still knows nothing of my death. When you see him again, will you pass on this message for me?"

Mesmerized by the gentleness in her voice, the way her fins swayed in the air as though she were submerged in the water, Maeva nodded.

"Tell him he must not grieve his mother's passing… Tell him she wanted him to be brave…and live as the king of our people. And…tell him," said the Queen with a wavering, selfless inflection as her glowing body faded into eternity, "tell him his mother…loves him without end…Tell him…"

Link opened his mouth to call after her, but Rutela had disappeared and he knew she was already with her husband. Pity that the son should bear it all on his own, but he knew from experience that Ralis would be able to, someday, whether he believed it or not. He only hoped the prince wouldn't waste his time in denial, hoping against hope his parents were still alive when they had obviously died, somewhere along the journey home, by an awful stroke of fate—

Link wondered how long he'd been silent when he could only hear the lake water lapping against the land behind him and birds chirping somewhere in the distance.

Maeva's jaw was tightly clenched, her small hands grasping the Zora helm for dear life, eyes hot with tears.

"Maeva…?" asked Link, the disbelief barely concealed in his voice. He reached out to touch her shoulder, focused squarely on her reddening nose, but she came to her senses, glaring at something behind Link.

"What?" she snapped, still refusing to meet his gaze, but her shoulders drooped the second time and her eyes were downcast. "…What…? When…you grabbed me earlier, I slipped. It – it hurt my nose," Maeva lied, her voice turning more nasally by the word. She took a loaded sniff and Link tried to pretend not to see her glistening eyes.

"All right," he said, slowly like he was trying to understand the meaning of the phrase. "Do you…want to try on the armor?"

He took the helm from her, pretended to check it for damage, and then fitted it over her head. When she stood completely still, he mercifully lowered the visor to cover her eyes.

_Kill us_, she would never forget, had been the shortest way for them to deliver Rutela's same message. Her precious bracelet felt warm on her wrist, almost searing. Recalling every facet of the memory, the same lost to Prince Ralis at an even younger age, Maeva wept.

"Thank you," Link struggled to read from her lips. His gaze was trained on the droplet sliding down from beneath her visor to the side of her chin, his heart clenching painfully, even if he had no idea why she cried. He liked to think she shed tears for them both, for families lost, but he didn't want her to catch him presuming anything. Link had already forgotten when he started to give significance to her opinion.

Maeva gripped his shield like a lifeline as she slipped into the water, but she only dragged it behind her. The helm made her journey across the lake seem effortless, her body following the rhythm of the calm waves back to the crawlway.

Link was sluggish. He wasn't certain if it was the influence on his shadow, if Midna felt any emotion at the sight of their companion attempting to conceal such dejection, or if the heavy trudges he took towards the water was simply an effect of his own weakness.

…

Kakariko village was peaceful again the next morning despite the news that had spread of Ilia's amnesia. The girl herself slumbered, having cared for Ralis almost all night. Maeva had entered their room and watched her chest rise and fall as she slept on the cot beside the Zora prince earlier, attempting to recall why she'd allowed herself to fall asleep when the perfect one had stayed awake. The night previous, she'd thought, why bother? But now she felt again some eagerness to compete, and besides, she finally reasoned, they had been traveling all night, and fighting, too. Wasn't that reason enough?

Unfortunately, Maeva had nobody to defend herself to; neither did she want a companion. They would call her silly, she was certain, because how could anyone compete with that girl? She might tell Epona, but Ilia had known Epona for as long as Link – probably – and would take the girl's side. Or eat her.

Telma and Link were discussing plans with Renado. She had approached them, but heard the girl's name pass Renado's lips and decided to sit by the stairs near the entrance with her lonesome, instead. They looked thick as thieves, all three of them. She would speak with Barnes, who was amusing when he was tired or grumpy, but he was still snoring in bed minutes ago, when she'd tried to purchase bombs from him.

"Hi, Maeva," said Beth, positioning herself in front of the older woman. She was surrounded by Colin, Luda, Talo and Malo. "Why aren't you with the adults?"

"They're discussing directions. I am unable to contribute."

"But you're a traveler, right?" Talo piped up.

Maeva tried to remember exactly what story she had given them all those days ago. "Only because my home was destroyed. I found Link by accident."

"Ohh," the children said in unison. And then Colin asked, "So where are you going next?"

"We have business in Lake Hylia," answered Maeva, appreciating the children's attention, though she didn't overlook how perhaps they only granted it because they had little else to do in the barren village. "And then, hopefully, the horrors will finally end. To begin with, however, we need swift passage to the lake. Traveling back the way we came is – dangerous, and tedious."

Talo stared at her. "What's tedious mean?"

"Too much work," Malo replied dismissively. His brother mouthed a long 'o.'

"My father once told me of a hidden Zora graveyard behind the cemetery," Luda offered, taking the free seat beside Maeva. "The small lake there should have many underwater caverns, one of which leads to Lake Hylia, but…only Zora have the capacity to enter that place and mourn."

"Is that so?" asked Maeva, vividly recalling their visit last night. For some reason, and she berated herself for it after, she glanced at Link, for whom she felt a begrudging gratitude. He had released her from his presence the night before without pestering for answers as to her state of mind or heart, and hadn't pressed her for details that morning during breakfast. Still, she grumbled in her thoughts, her glance wasn't an invitation, but he approached their little group, anyway.

Link was feigning surprise when he reached them. "Oh, hey, everyone…huh. If you're all here, who's taking care of Ralis, and who's looking out for danger?"

Beth, Luda, Colin, and Talo all yelped. The first three rushed inside Ralis' room while Talo bolted out of the hut to climb back up his watch post at the highest point in Kakariko.

Malo, however, didn't scamper off. "Nice try, Link," said the baby with the slightest smirk.

Link shrugged and asked Maeva, "What was it?"

"I didn't call for you," she replied.

"Well, I'm going to see the Zora graveyard."

Link stared at Malo, though he supposed he should no longer have been surprised. "How did you…?"

"Luda mentioned the existence of a shortcut from King Zora's grave to Lake Hylia. Underwater caverns, she said," explained Maeva, glad of the chance to teach the Hero something.

"Great!" Link nodded. "Oh, but…you should probably stay here, Malo."

Malo quirked a challenging eyebrow. "No, I think I'm going."

"I don't see why he shouldn't," Maeva interjected, interested in discovering if walking or crawling looked more natural to the little boy. Beckoning to him with a jerk of her head to the door, she left the hut.

Link stared after them, his lips pursed in thought. Well. It was only natural that girls preferred the company of children to his…wasn't it?

* * *

><p>I read over this a million times thinking Maeva was much nicer to (or tolerant of) Link than usual, but given the events in this chapter, I think it was pretty justified. I know Link's saved her butt a ton of times and she's been pretty ungrateful about it the whole way, but seeing as how she figured out not to be so begrudging about a thank you in the Goron Mines, it was a logical step for me to have her more cordial already.<p>

...Yeah, I'm completely defensive XD

Not sure about my portrayal of Ilia, though. If you watch her actions without the veil of Maeva's point of view, she's a great gal, but of course insecure women like to size other girls up before determining how to feel about them, which is the stage Maeva's pretty much at with Ilia right now. What did you think?

**PerrierLaMer**: One does wonder about the hat's tenacity! Even Link, haha!

**JimmyDANj2**: I can understand what you mean by getting taken along for the ride. Sucks when you're the writer though and you know what's going to happen, so sometimes I'm in a frame of mind where some events have already taken place when they haven't yet been shown to the readers... :( Not that I'm complaining about taking up this project haha! Anyway, I'd love to hear your input about Ilia and her interactions here! Since you mentioned her earlier :)

**XxAriadnexX**: Thanks for your input! I get the benefits of the 1st POV when it comes to revealing things about Maeva's character but I like showing thoughts of other characters too, so...yeah :)) I hope you like the 3rd person POV too!

**whosahassa**: Thanks for your input! You're right, that is what reviews are for, so we're cool. :) I like hearing other people's opinions, so I read what you thought and you do seem to feel very strongly about that, haha! I know how it is to feel that way about details in fanfiction ;D My take on it, though - watch out, this is gonna be long... I'm not sure if this is spoilerific, but it does explain things about the OC - isn't that Maeva's the new hero and Link's only going along for the ride; in fact, Maeva's the extra character and is definitely the one just tagging along. She has stated herself that she wants to be the hero to defeat Zant and remove the Twilight, but she has failed and fails at her attempts because indeed, that job belongs to Link. She was angry at him for exactly that reason, since Link doesn't even know who Zant is and he's being helped by the spirits, while she could just not do it no matter how hard she tried, and no matter how good she believes her reasons are for desiring Zant's defeat by her hand. The only reason she IS succeeding now is because she's traveling with the hero chosen by the gods. Still, while Link is da man and clearly is able to save the world by himself, as evidenced by the LoZ games themselves, if every fanfiction is technically an AU, and this one in particular has him with more sentient companions (i.e. the talking boomerang who can fly by herself, the teleporting mom and son, and the annoying jealous girl, and let's never forget Midna), then I'm of the opinion that it's not so bad to split the workload. Defeating one boss doesn't mean an OC is taking over the role of the Hero, and I hate to mention even more about the character, but the OC didn't even brag about beating Darbus (though that has to do more with character development, a subconscious sense of learned helplessness, etcetera). It's not so much counting wins as saving the world, though existing outside the story and judging how a story should be written and such, it's natural for us to count things like that. But you can take that any way you like, of course! Sorry that it takes away from your reading pleasure. Although! The idea that Ooccoo, her son, and Gale have speaking parts belongs to **dmc87**, as always. We still message and she's always happy when a reader likes that detail of the story. Thanks for reviewing! :) Sorry this was longer than I expected... :))

**superhyperjan**: And thank you for the review! Gets a writer going for sure :))

**merkkari**: I read the first chapter again and realized it is pretty difficult to figure that out with no she's or he's, but it does say 'she' in the summary...but yeah, sorry about that haha! Maeva is kind of starting to depend on Link, but hopefully she still fits into a fellow-fighter category than a damsel-in-distress category as a character! Anyway, that part about your language is interesting. The 3rd person pronouns in my native language aren't sex-specific either! What country are you from? :D

**spideydance**: Wow... to begin with, thanks for all your long reviews! I love it when reviewers get into detail what they like/expect/didn't like/didn't expect! I don't know where to start replying! :)) About Link and Maeva not falling in love at first sight, it was easy for Maeva I think since she was envious of him to begin with...even if he is super cute ;D heh! Gale, Ooccoo, and Junior's participation in the story was **dmc87**'s idea by the way :) And yes, Link's real character does shine through in those parts when he ignores Maeva or laughs at her mistakes, thank you for catching that! And at the end of chapter 3, yep! Those angry voices outside were Link and Fado. And I can't help but make one adult smart despite how the game portrays them - as a kid it's funny to see adults fumbling, but growing up...it feels kinda insulting haha! Even if I'm only 19 :)) So did this chapter's revelation match your suspicions about Midna and Maeva's relationship? :)

**UnknownRyan**: I am so touched that you would feel that about **My Way**! Unfortunately I'm not yet, if I'll ever be, at that writing level where this is even a great fanfiction. But your words really inspire me to try and improve my writing, so thank you! And yes I am trying to balance out Maeva's animosity towards Link :)) And please allow me to say that I laughed at the last paragraph of your review :)) I've done that in a lot of my own reviews I think, except I usually tip off the verge of begging and end up doing just that, so good job keeping your dignity, hahaha!

**rainrushingwindowpain**: I'm glad you like the portrayal of the characters, even Maeva's! And I never thought of that! The similarity between this portrayal of Link and Sora, anyway. But I do love Sora of KH so I'm thinking I must have drawn from his character subconsciously, especially since, like Sora, Link is an innocent guy just minding his own business when suddenly he has to save the world. Plus given his facial features, I always saw him as a friendly guy...when he deals with most people, anyway. I think my portrayal of Link will be a little less patient than Sora in a lot of ways ;D and more mature, of course. But yeah, thanks for bringing up that comparison! Hope you like this chapter too :)

Thanks again for the reviews and REVIEW! (SOME MORE.) It gets me by the lonely nights when my inspiration leaves me :'( haha, that was a joke! (Not really.) Seriously though, happy holidays, everybody, and have a wonderful break!


	6. Falling through the cracks

It has been too long, and I apologize. I've actually had most of this chapter ready to publish since February, but I was too lazy to edit and some parts had me seriously stumped. I just finished this a few weeks ago and did some editing yesterday. I still want to finish this! It's just very difficult sometimes.

If my old readers are still out there, welcome back! If you're new, welcome! And thanks for reading** My Way **this far. Very cool of you. In this chapter, we go to boring old Lakebed Temple and see some interaction with one of our big bads, Zant, Douchebag Extraordinaire (D.E.).

Man, did I hate Lakebed Temple. But I loved it, too. Both because of the background music. It was so darn creepy! But I loved how the water looked. I still hate writing about dungeons, though. And what does D.E. have in store for our favorite party? (They're more like the only party traveling the lands. You think at least some groups would be tired of waiting for Zant to crack down on them cruelly and leave instead of just twiddling their thumbs where they live and getting attacked by King Bulblin, right? Nope.)

Now, enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>My Way<strong>

Chapter 6: _Falling through the cracks_

Ooccoo's red eyes narrowed. "Are you certain about this, dear?"

"Sure," was Link's pleasant reply. His smile had already placated the oocca's doubts, but he felt it only right to explain further. "Water doesn't seep into the Pocket when I swim, so you should both be safe. Are you ready, Maev—?"

Gale blew a heavy gust of wind his way. "Don't look!"

Link yelped at the wisps of his bangs that suddenly pricked at his eyes, but brushed them away in apology as he turned his head. "Sorry, sorry…"

Arms crossed over her chest, Midna sighed dramatically, finger tapping impatiently on her elbow. "If you'd just donned this suit in the Inn, we wouldn't be having this problem. See, Link, sometimes it's all right to take charge and tell her these things."

Ooccoo and Gale exchanged glances – at least, they would have, if the boomerang possessed eyes – but said nothing, emulating the wisely silent example of their human companions.

To Maeva's surprise, Malo had looked much more natural walking. The tranquility of the Zora graveyard was better appreciated under the sunlight and gave their infant friend a mind equipped with the proper inspiration to aid them in their search for a shortcut to Lake Hylia. Maeva had mourned the apparent lack of caverns in the graveyard's lake with a grunt, impatient for the last piece of the Fused Shadow. They would take another day to reach the Lanayru province without distractions.

Malo only scoffed, however, and procured a water bomb he'd purchased from Barnes the night previous from somewhere beneath his jerkin. Light me a fire, he'd said, and Maeva obeyed, drawing from her time roasting small animals hunted on the field; then Malo dropped it near a boulder below the bank. The water above followed the direction of a northern whirlpool, but the lake wasn't drained of its contents. Giving the slightest hint of a smile, the infant said, "I won't even charge you for that – call it my contribution to saving Hyrule." At Maeva's shocked expression, he only shrugged.

"Why do humans wear clothes, anyway?" asked Ooccoo Junior, spinning in the air before Link.

"Humans don't have feathers to keep them warm, dear," answered his mother. "And I suppose one might say it is simply a matter of culture."

Maeva cleared her throat. "I'm finished."

Covered in thick warrior scales over soft yet hardy material even Malo couldn't name, the Zora armor hugged the body, revealing curves that Maeva's daily wear did not often emphasize. If Link wore the Hero's Clothes, Maeva's uniform of sorts normally consisted of a loose dark shirt that stopped some ways below her bust and gave way to dark markings twisted around a tiny bellybutton – at least, when her arms and stomach were not swathed in bandages, harem pants that hung low on her waist and were clasped in by cloth strips on the ankles, and sandals that she must have picked up on her journey, for they looked completely out of place.

Her thighs were nicely toned, though it shouldn't have been a shock given her mentioned experience outdoors. It was curious, how long she must have traveled on her own after Zant ruined all that was dear to her.

"Link!" Maeva snapped him out of his trance. Her eyebrows furrowed when he met her gaze. "I should think a Hero would be more attentive…Did you hear a word I said?"

"Ah—I'm sorry, Maeva," he said, his small smile concealing his relief. Motioning to the flappers resembling Zora feet, Link asked, "You want help with the boots?"

"I'm fine," she muttered, tossing him her clothes to keep in the Pocket. Her bracelet remained.

Gale spun around Maeva, taking the armor in full view. "How does it feel?"

"Like it fits," she answered. When their companions were inside the Pocket, she spoke again, touching the base of her abdomen. "It's very light."

Link wasn't certain if she addressed him, so he overlooked it. "Ready?" he asked, putting on the Zora helm.

"Any minute now," Midna singsonged.

Nodding, Maeva dove into the water. Her eyes felt glassy quickly, and she wondered if it was the foreign liquid getting inside them and causing some sort of infection – but she dipped her head inside and found that she could see perfectly clearly, that the sensation protected her vision. She swam closer to the cavern entrance. From within the armor, a black cloth, smooth like brand new castle carpeting pulled over her mouth and nose to regulate her breathing.

Link slipped into the lake with an arm outstretched. Maeva was so happy at her newfound though temporary ability to swim that she reached back, until something tugged uncomfortably at her feet. It was the whirlpool, swallowing her into its currents and whisking her away.

Her head bobbed up to the surface minutes later. The black cloth folded into itself automatically, and as she recognized Fyer's purple cannon-house, Maeva released the cheer she'd sucked in at the exciting sensation elicited by the strong liquid flurry.

"Wow," came Link's breathless voice. He was behind her, but she could hear the grin in his tone. "I never thought you might be a thrill-seeker, Maeva."

Maeva blinked. "I was only…I'm not some kind of – truant – no…"

Protected by her shadows, Midna swirled above them from the water. "Time to get the last piece!" she said, clapping her hands with a slight giggle. "Let's get a move on!"

"Right," said Link, and found after he granted himself another second to rest that his companion had already swum deeper into Lake Hylia. What had she been trying to say? Had she actually been – flustered?

The Lakebed Temple's name was not at all misleading – it lay at the bottom of the lake where the light could hardly reach it. One Zora floated guard beside the entrance while another swam the perimeter, spear in hand. Link couldn't be sure, but they might have been the people he spotted as a wolf. The strangers in the distance warned them to take their places right beside the temple door.

He wasn't sure whether Maeva had waited for him before speaking with them out of mutual respect or fear, but Link was pleased. When he floated next to her, he spoke clearly through the Zora visor, "Greetings. We were sent here—"

"No need for formalities," said the Zora to the left, without the spear. He gave a slight, uncertain smile. "You wear the armor crafted by our honored King. Know simply that…we have never ventured past this door."

"They say all manner of horrors lie deep inside the temple," said the second Zora. He was obviously younger, given his still earnest tone. "Have a care."

Maeva didn't return his inquisitive glance, staring intently at the door, so Link pressed on. "Thank you."

Maeva reveled in the feel of the Zora armor. To be a monarch and wield such magic, to be such a skilled craftsman; how could the Zora king have died, especially before events when his guidance would certainly be needed? In the end, she thought melancholically, his power hadn't been enough to protect his people from his own death. Still, to weave the traits of his people within a single suit of armor! She thought she might feel unwieldy inside it, the only _armor_ she'd ever worn having been the metal braces around her neck and ankles to bind her Nine uniform, but this felt like a second skin, and sometimes not even that.

At times it was as though she wore nothing at all, to the point that she felt embarrassed, naked in the times Link looked at her, but Maeva knew she was being ridiculous. In any case, there were much more dangerous things inside the temple than people – as soon as they entered, the deep dive and eventual rise of the tunnel took them past enormous monster clams and transluscent, glowing beings with heads shaped like mushrooms and tentacles that lit the tunnel path.

Maeva paddled as fast as she could away from the monsters – who'd snapped their jaws or slung their tentacles at them upon sight – and breathed in relief when she climbed out of the circular pool into a wide natural cavern, not unlike those of Death Mountain's, but with stalactites and stalagmites and a more pleasant smell than sulfur creeping at her senses. Up ahead was a door covered in tiles of porcelain, and out of her sight, a lever whose handle shone like gold. (Upon closer inspection by Ooccoo Junior, later, they would discover it was only fool's gold.)

"That was close," said Link, lifting the visor when he rushed out after her, but he was grinning – as though he found the experience of almost-death exciting. "Those Zora weren't kidding. I never imagined those Bari could be so…huge!"

"It must be the influence of the Fused Shadow, but one wonders how long that must have been here. Did they truly build a temple only to seal away the one piece?" When Link simply stared at her, she supposed he wouldn't know, either. The Hero's Clothes only granted him protection; not knowledge. "Are there such monsters in your Ordon Lake?"

"No, never," Link answered, as though the very idea made him want to cringe. "My mother read me books about them when I was younger. Didn't yours?" And then he actually cringed, and looked like he expected her to hit him.

Maeva didn't understand his apprehension and felt panic. Did he know about her parents? He couldn't have; Midna would never tell him no matter how angry she was…would she? "Of course my mother read to me of monsters," she answered testily. "Only, of a different kind."

"Right," Link nodded. "Sorry, Maeva. It was dumb of me to bring it up."

"What in the world are you apologizing for?" Maeva frowned.

"Well—" Link paused. It crossed his mind several times to breach the subject of her parents, but he doubted she would open her heart to him.

If he decided to ask, he was cut short by Midna's appearance. "If you're going to talk, do it when there are no monsters around! Watch out!"

By reflex, Maeva switched out her staff and shoved Link aside, hurling her weapon at something squirming behind him. It was a translucent, dark violet blob of something that she hacked in half. If her eyes served her correctly, the staff had only created more of whatever it was that leapt at them. Their movement identified them to her as worms of some sort, made of gel, and Maeva jumped over the halves as they lunged at her in a swift, singular motion.

Maeva picked up her staff, preparing in her mind how she would slash through the gel without making more, when one of the halves sucked at the webbed padding on her feet. It seemed to _eat_ at the material of the Zora armor, giving her a sensation reminiscent of being absorbed by a portal – disintegrated piece by piece, only to be put together again – though she doubted the existence of the latter function in this monster.

"There's something inside!" she heard Link's voice outside the space on which her senses had narrowed down, containing only her and the gel halves. "That's it, Maeva!"

Maeva saw it: a sphere of wrinkled mass and black points floating about that could have been a brain, eye, or both. The crystalline end of her staff pierced through the halves into the mass, both of which dissipated into them like air bubbles.

Crouched before the gel on his side, Link looked confused. "What was that?"

"Was that not part of your storybooks?"

"Definitely not," said Link, Pocket wriggling. "The rock I threw at it just – dissolved."

Maeva quirked an eyebrow. "You threw…a _rock_ at it?"

Link nodded, smiling as though it had been the only logical course of action, and opened the Pocket. "My sword hacked it through, making two smaller monsters, like your staff did. Other objects, though…just disintegrated into its gelatinous form. I've never heard of anything like it before."

"Oh! Yum!" Ooccoo Junior exclaimed, flitting into the air. Link and Maeva had barely noticed him when he dove right into the gel corpses – if they could be called such.

"No!" his human companions shouted, eyes wide, but the young oocca was all smiles as he rolled about, chirping happily before devouring the violet gel.

Mouth agape, Maeva watched in horror. Link agreed, "…That's not very hygienic, Junior. Not to mention it disintegrated rocks."

"Oh, no, it's not a problem, dears," Ooccoo laughed, lowering her neck and sniffing the gel. "That was a Chu, wasn't it? As it dies, its brain secrets an enzyme that alters the chemical composition of its body into something like your Red Potion there, Link. Very convenient. I might say the yellow ones are unhealthy, however – they serve as something like oil."

Even Link appeared dumbfounded. "Oh. I see."

"I don't," said Maeva. "How did you know that?"

"It's general knowledge in our home!" said Ooccoo. "Why, even little Junior knows it. They are a common element in our storybooks."

Although she looked back on her childhood with a heavy, aching heart, she knew she'd been happy then. That her companions should have their own pasts long before meeting her often slipped her mind, and she was curious to know what theirs entailed, even if Link seemed apprehensive towards speaking of it. Had something terrible happened to him, she wondered? He and Fado seemed to have no parents in the village, after all, contrary to the rest. But he offered no information as to his lineage, and she wouldn't press the subject. He might think she was interested…in him! "Gale, what did your mother read to you as a child?"

"Me?" A breeze circled the room as Gale thought. Absentmindedly, she replied, "I haven't been a child for quite some time…" And with fondness in her voice, "My mother used to tell me stories of the Hero who saved Ancient Hyrule."

"_The_ Hero?" asked Maeva.

"Yes! The very man…or boy, I suppose, at the time, who wore those same garments," said Gale, spinning round Link. "Although they hadn't been enchanted to perfection by the Light Spirits then."

Flicking off a string of seaweed he noticed on his boot, Link said, "I only know the gist of it. You have details, Gale?"

"Oh, yes." She sounded extremely happy to be talking of it, too. "My people have lived for ages. The times have changed and we've chosen to stay out of most of the world's affairs…but we remember the time when we didn't, and…"

"I'd like to hear about such an era," said Maeva, who couldn't imagine it for herself. Then again, until Zant's betrayal, she hadn't heard of the Zora kingdom or the Goron tribes. They seemed a simple, if not content, people, so they mustn't have participated in what Zelda called the Interloper War.

"We have stories, too!" announced Ooccoo Junior, flitting between the two. "About our city! In the sky!"

"A city in the sky?" Link repeated with amazement. "But, hey, I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Once we find that Rod, we'll be able to show you, dear!" Ooccoo added, sharing her son's excitement. "But enough about that – adventure awaits! Shouldn't we get to finding the Fused Shadow?"

A giggle escaped Link's shadow. "I'm glad someone remembers…!"

"Yes," said Maeva, firmly, her casual tone disappearing. "Ooccoo is…correct. Shall we?"

Ooccoo Junior, oblivious once more to the tension skirting the fringes of their team set-up, nodded his body up and down. "Where are we going?"

The way was fairly linear, which the young oocca learned soon enough. He rushed at the lone porcelain door; it only chipped at his efforts. Maeva had watched Ooccoo for the duration of this attempt with a peculiar expression, expecting the chatty woman to intervene, to tell Link to tell her son to stop that this instant, but she only cheered and took him under her wing when he gave up. His disappointment was short-lived, however, as he found the shiny lever hiding behind the stalactites and simply pulled it down. Maeva still wondered at such strength, but said nothing when Link didn't.

A natural bridge hung from their door to a great stone arch formed by the wall across, their only source of light a few lamps lit high above. The mound formations below were littered with beasts wearing spotted metal shells on their backs, but they were too far below to notice and, if Maeva was asked for her opinion, she was glad not to have to discover their level of hostility, in any case. When they emerged from under the arch, it was as if the world had shifted into a completely different setting. The bridge was a construct, now, ancient symbols intertwined with its railings; the wall behind was covered in mosses, the door across in bright blue porcelain, and the sound of the current belonging to a full river below breathed life into the temple.

But it was nothing compared to the next room they reached by way of another lever. In fact, it wasn't a room but a series of three levels, floors all made of porcelain, and a flight of stairs at its center, slowly spinning round a vertical axis. Maeva peered up from their floor – the second – and searched for the sky, but saw only crystals expertly crafted into a single chandelier hanging on pearls, showering icy blue light into the area.

"Imagine," said Link, breathlessly, "This…it's even deeper than Lake Hylia. If...if the world knew about historical treasure places like this possess…"

Maeva broke out of her own reverie with a frown. "They would be consumed by greed, and many things will come to ruin from their efforts." Link paused, and she didn't like the look he gave her. Not because it irritated her, but because she felt almost embarrassed for having uttered such words. "What is it?" she demanded defensively. "Lanayru had said much the same thing, of that power granted by the goddesses. Now kingdoms seek knowledge, and there is much to gain from the past. Perhaps Zelda will remain steadfast in her earnest, but others…"

Link shook his head. "I think, maybe, it won't happen so swiftly…but maybe you're right." He looked almost disappointed saying it. "Anyway, we're the only humans able to access this place. So it'll be our secret."

_Our secret_ replayed in Maeva's mind many times, and she found that she didn't quite mind it as she thought she might have, many days ago.

"Right, guys?" asked Link, now grinning. He was that Steadfast Hero again. Maeva took some comfort from it; so they hadn't completely lost him to Ilia, after all.

"Of course!" said Ooccoo.

"Yeah!" Ooccoo Junior cheered. "That's what being an adventurer is all about. Going places no others have gone before!"

At that, Maeva thought she felt very fortunate to have gone on an adventure there, and in their company, no less, until she was reminded by the shadows dancing on Link's feet that it wasn't luck that had brought her to Lakebed Temple but her own doing. And she felt ungrateful, that she should live when Seven of the Nine had not, when their people were trapped in hideous forms they could not control while she complained of markings that were little compared to theirs, but guilt was tiring…and her plight was her own, wasn't it? The question felt right to her, and yet wrong, and she was confused.

The headache gave her a jolt, an acute awareness of their surroundings. To be certain, the Lakebed Temple was a wonder, but its tranquility carried an eeriness she couldn't place. The sound of dripping water suddenly seemed to haunt her, as though they were footsteps of heroes long past, asking to be followed. Or perhaps, and it must have been the more plausible explanation because she grasped at it desperately as soon as it came to mind, it was only from the workings of her foolish imagination.

She was overwhelmed by the number of doors she could see from their level, and they had no idea which to enter first. In the Goron Mines, at least, they were guided by the task of searching for the key fragments to Darbus' prison chambers. When she could come to no decision, she found herself looking to Link, who was watching her quietly.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said, still pleasantly, but his swift about-face gave her pause. It was almost awkward. Had he been like this when they first met? All Maeva had seen then were his smiles and eagerness to aid them for no reason at all that she couldn't call to mind anything that might have indicated a character that entailed this.

It's no good to dwell on something incomprehensible, Rell had once said to her. Save the contemplation for a less hostile environment, too, and she couldn't have been more right as Ooccoo's screaming echoed throughout the temple walls. Link and Maeva darted to her rescue – or Ooccoo Junior's, as it was he who'd rushed off and encountered a monster – but Gale had already done away with it, thrashing it about with her furious winds.

The monster resembled one they encountered in the Goron Mines, the stick-legged, one-eyed thing that had leapt out of the water for Ooccoo Junior. It was curious, thought Maeva, that those same species were found in enclosed spaces like the Goron Mines and the Lakebed Temple, the latter of which had been sealed off for what must have been hundreds of years, but she could find no connection between them.

Just as it was Ooccoo Junior that broke her from her silly retrospection, it was he who decided where they would begin. Levers hung from many sides of each floor, and their purpose was to move the spinning staircase to their level whenever pulled. Their party traversed through varying rooms across floors, some consisting of pools filled with rupees guarded by monsters, many of waterwheels that seemed to regulate the flow of water within the entire temple, and others of dark blue gears, unmoving, but at once constantly shifting when Ooccoo Junior took pleasure in finding their corresponding levers, but none contained clues as to the location of the Fused Shadow fragment.

One of the gears brought them to a place lacking the ornate designs making up most of the Temple. It was a cylindrical area with stone walls, the spareness reminiscent of the entrance, and mounds of rock piled around together at the bottom. Maeva felt great displeasure at finding a dead end; as though their search hadn't been fruitless enough.

"Those must have been shaped by water," said Ooccoo, watching Link and Maeva move forward.

"If there was any," snorted Maeva. As it was, there remained only puddles. "This place must be very old. I wonder why they overlooked it."

"No…" Link glanced about with a thoughtful expression. "The puddles haven't dried out. It must be recent, but where could the water have come—"

"Look, everyone! A lever," Ooccoo Junior declared happily. Even his mother granted him only an accommodating smile; she, too, tried to solve the puzzle of the room. Perhaps its simplicity had been a clue, however, as to the answer they couldn't determine. So deep in thought were they that they only noticed, belatedly, that the floors had begun to shake.

"Can you feel that?" asked Maeva, looking first to Ooccoo and Gale by the door, and then to Link beside her. "I think it's coming from the—"

"Whoa!" Link's arm shot out from his side and swept up the entirety of Maeva's as the rock beneath his feet rose swiftly to the air. "What—what's happening?"

It took a moment for Maeva to gather her wits and stop screaming about her arm and the fact that she was hanging from a height from which she would surely perish. When she recovered, she saw beneath the mound water so powerful that it bubbled a glistening white. "It's a – a geyser," she answered. "Don't let go!"

"I won't this time!" Link promised, but the rock rose and fell, unstable, and he hadn't the balance to pull her to himself.

"Maeva, coming your way!" Gale shouted from below.

"Wha—!" The rock beneath her shot through the air, making painful impact with her knees and tearing her abruptly from Link's grasp. Her geyser kept her above him as she clasped her hands about the rock for dear life, devising a way to reach the ground – many of the stepping stones were now springing from the ground – when the largest, almost rectangular mound in the center of the area darted through the air next to her, the rushing water beneath it spraying at her face.

Between wiping her eyes and mouth she saw something green moving atop it – Link, waving at her with an apologetic grin. She watched him rise to the very top and then jump onto a structure near the ceiling – a hanging bridge completed by the missing rectangle, not totally unlike Dangoro's circular platform from the Goron Mines.

"Guys!" he shouted, peering from the edge, his voice ricocheting as Maeva found her geyser's rhythm, "Hop on the big one!"

Just as Maeva had begun to jump from one small stone to another, Ooccoo Junior appeared beside her. "Time to go, Maeva," he said and, smiling toothily, flew around her thrice.

She landed on something soft with a thud. The ground beneath her groaned, and with a yelp, Maeva rolled off.

"Oh, sorry, Link!" said Ooccoo Junior, sitting on his shoulder as he sat up. "I thought you were standing by the door."

"It's all right, Junior," he said, holding his stomach with a painful smile. Maeva felt some embarrassment – she wasn't _that_ heavy, was she? – but only sighed in relief, pretending not to have noticed. Link dismissed it without a thought. "Wow. And I thought I'd seen everything in Death Mountain."

Maeva was about to nod in agreement when she caught sight of Link's shadow, shifting uncomfortably. "We should move."

The next area was no smaller than the last, and the party found themselves in the middle of a spiraling path, torches lighting the walls. Looking off the railings, Maeva saw stillwater sitting beneath, and a porcelain door to the left.

"What's down there?" asked Link, whose eyes couldn't catch objects that far below.

"Only a…I don't know," Maeva replied, shrugging and stepping away from the edge. "But we should make our way there."

"Let's go up first," said Link, "You know, to cover all the bases."

"But—"

"Link is right," said Ooccoo. "I smell treasure upstairs!"

"Me too!" declared her son.

"Very well," muttered Maeva, and Ooccoo Junior led the way with Gale at his side.

No door waited for them at the top of the room; only a dry floodgate and a lever before that. Maeva thought there was a ridiculous amount of them in this Temple, but who was she to question ancient cultures? She wouldn't complain, especially given the rupees they had collected, and the treasure chest that sat between the gate and Ooccoo's current object of affection.

While she contemplated what might be inside it, Link peered out of the glass ceiling, into the darkness.

"This was one of the minarets we saw outside, when we were swimming here," he breathed.

"Interesting!" said Midna, briefly hopping out of his shadow. "Maeva should pay attention to these things, so she isn't lost all the time. Don't you think so?" she giggled, but to Maeva, crouched before her the treasure chest, it felt forced. She knew they were both anxious to find that last piece.

Link opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a rumbling from behind the floodgate. Alarmed, he turned his head to Ooccoo Junior, who'd already pulled down the lever. As soon as the gate lifted, water roared and crashed into the room, sweeping them off their feet and carrying them down the path they had just taken. Maeva focused the last of her balance into taking the chest into her arms before allowing herself to fall down.

Maeva was carefree for a moment, laughing at the sensation of falling with a certain degree of surety, and briefly stole a vision of Link, who hooted with an ear-to-ear smile, gathering the rest of their companions to himself before returning her glance. They looked away at the same time to meet the pit below, the black cloth in the Zora armor uncurling to cover Maeva's nose and Link's visor falling swiftly down his mouth before they could inhale water.

"That was so fun!" Ooccoo Junior cheered after taking a breath, flapping his wings in the water to stay afloat. "Let's do it again!"

"Wait…" A familiar tug at Link's feet caused him to start and the smile on his face to waver. He The water continued to swirl, forming an eddy that appeared to drain at the center of the room. "It isn't over. Swim ashore!" Link shouted, but it was too late. Maeva hardly resisted the vacuum taking them into the unknown below.

In contrast to the blue hues of the Temple, Maeva opened her eyes to a vast yellow chamber. It, too, was empty, save for cavities in the wall that revealed no exits. The gate at one end was barred shut, and the only thing Ooccoo Junior could find that came close to a lever was a small latch in the ceiling above it. He couldn't quite fit his body into it enough to push it down, nor could he wrap his mouth around the handle to pull.

Ooccoo Junior returned to Maeva's palm, jaw slacked from fatigue. "I don't think I can open that gate…" he mumbled.

"It's all right," she said, stroking his cheek with a finger. "It shouldn't be left to you."

"Come here, dear," Ooccoo beckoned. Maeva placed him on his mother's back, where he lay nestled in her feathers.

"I could teleport us upstairs again," Junior mumbled.

"No need," said Link. "We can find a way to open this... You've done a good job so far, Junior. Rest first."

Maeva glanced at Link and Gale, who were inspecting the gate, attempting to blow it away and hack at it, and caught sight of her treasure chest. Giving an exclamation of joy, she jogged to approach it – and then a bumpy, fat, pink tendril uncurled from the ceiling and snapped it up.

"My treasure…"

Link turned at the sound of Maeva's soft tone and had little time to react as an enormous blob fell to the ground before her. "Well. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised at this, either," he muttered.

The blob turned from its back onto its stomach, little arms supporting itself, and Link recognized a toad the size of Sera's house. Slimy and varying shades of putrid green with pink lips as thick as the fat perched over its tiny yellow eyes, and larger ones peering out from its back, the Deku Toad opened its mouth and reached for Maeva with its tongue – the pink tendril she'd seen earlier.

"Maeva, move!" Link yelled, but she'd darted off even before his command reached her ears. Scrambling to her feet, Maeva slicked her wet hair back and ran for her companions. Upon Link's command, Ooccoo flew to the safety of the upper wall cavities, face even more unsightly as she made an expression of disgust.

"I could shoot it," said Maeva, but hesitated to reach for the Bow. As in the Forest Temple, everything here seemed to be hostile. Perhaps it was the influence of the Fused Shadow or her upbringing in a generally peaceful society, but fighting these monsters was beginning to grow tiresome – not that she would ever surrender; not while Midna remained in exile. And no hero ever became such by sitting out on battles! For now, for Midna, war would be her way.

There was a growing suspicion in Maeva's mind that the Deku Toad could read her thoughts, because as she drew an arrow against the Bow, it seemed to disappear. Taking its place was a school of plump fish as wide as Link's hand and as long as her forearm, making nasty chomping sounds as they made for the intruders.

"Ugh!" Maeva speared at them with her staff. "Where did these come from?"

Swinging his blade at the carnivorous creatures, Link pointed to the where the toad once stood. "Its back – they weren't eyes, they were fish!"

"Let me help!" Ooccoo Junior cried, appearing between them and bursting with energy. Link and Maeva moved to protest, but the boy lowered himself to the water and seized at the fish, taking one bloody bite from each and moving on swiftly.

"Amazing," said Maeva, watching the little fish retreat from the even smaller creature, but Link's grip on his sword only tightened.

"Wait. Where did the toad go?"

"Look to the shadows!" Midna shouted from Link's feet. Above, the Deku Toad jumped from a great stalactite and spread its arms, ready for a belly flop over Maeva, who ran opposite Link's direction. Both were thrown off their feet by its impact on the shallow water. Rising, Maeva had little time to aim for the toad as more fish snapped their teeth at her shins. She found herself backed against the wall as she waded away and fired arrows. Ooccoo and Gale's screams reached her from somewhere in the background.

Or above her, when she focused on their shrill voices, and saw Gale spinning out of the cavity towards the Deku Toad. Ridding herself of the last fish in the batch, Maeva followed to find the toad's thick tongue wrapped around Link's body. Gale hurled gusts at the toad, screaming in various ear-splitting pitches, but that didn't stop the monster from lambasting a shouting Link around the water with its tongue.

"What?" Maeva yelled over the winds heaving her hair in all directions, trying to approach the Deku Toad without getting in the way of its tongue or being completely whisked away by Gale's attacks.

"The bombs! Toss me a bomb!"

"Aren't they in your Pocket? And I can shoot this!" Maeva exclaimed, aiming an arrow for the toad's throat, but its tongue and Link swished about too wildly for her to get a proper view of her target. "If you could only – stop moving!"

"Maeva, I don't think _now_ is really the time to argue with me!"

"I'm hardly arguing—ow! Hold on!" More fish had arrived, nipping at her calves. To her shock, a bomb was making its way to her in the water, attacking the fish on its own. When she bent down to pick it up, it rose to meet her instead.

Balancing an explosive on his head, Ooccoo Junior grinned, lower lip dripping with fish blood. Maeva would have been terrified if she wasn't so glad to see him safe. "Here's a bomb, Maeva," he said helpfully, "Link dropped his Pocket before the Toad got him! I'll get more when—"

Link was swept past them. "Maeva!"

"All right, all right!" Taking a match from her own pouch and lighting the fuse over their young companion's eyes, she ushered him off. "Take it to Link—hurry!"

Ooccoo Junior was only too happy to participate in the battle to fear the bomb ready to blow and took it to Link, following the edge of the Deku Toad's tongue. With a frustrated yet pleasant shout, the hero ordered the boy to toss the weapon into its mouth and fly back to his mother. Maeva thought the toad must be accustomed to gulping down all kinds of things by accident, because it gave no reaction to the little sphere it swallowed.

Link, however, yelped in urgency, and in a desperate move for freedom, he opened his mouth, teeth gleaming – of course the Hero possessed pearly whites – and bit down on the Deku Toad's tongue.

Link coughed and hacked as the tongue released him, but pulled himself to his feet and ran towards Maeva as soon as he could, flailing his arms. "Get out of the way!" He shouted up at Gale, "To Ooccoo, now!"

There were five seconds of total chaos as the Deku Toad screeched in pain, Gale's tempests continued to whip at them and Ooccoo continued to scream, and then the toad exploded, innards and slime flying in all the chamber's directions. Silence. Her mind recalled the familiarity of the situation to an occurrence in the Forest Temple – only, instead of shadows protecting her, it was Link.

Why did he shield her, when she had no real need of his body? Maeva should have felt insulted, but perhaps the days and nights spent with him had already made Link's actions perfunctory to her. It was his way to take responsibility for many things; she only resented it because it should have been hers.

When all was quiet and Ooccoo was calm, Link removed himself from her and the wall. "Are you all right?" he asked. It may as well have been the first time he asked her thus, because this was the first she'd ever looked into his eyes as he said the words. Genuine concern flashed across the blue, and all the indignance she felt at his body pressed against hers dissipated.

Maeva wondered if he'd always possessed a gaze that seemed to engulf her entirely. Midna had once looked upon her with the same care, and the Nine, perhaps, as well as her parents, but his affected her differently, in a way she couldn't place. She clutched the armor crafted by the Zora king; didn't Queen Rutela promise it wouldn't let her drown? "Maeva?"

"Obviously!" she yelped when she came to her senses. When Link blinked, stepping away and giving her an almost odd expression, Maeva cleared her throat. "Obviously I'm all – all right. You can see that. Although," she added, forcing a smirk, "_you _may have toad entrails smeared on your back."

"Oh, that's fine," Link grinned, crouching, and applied the last of the clear water surrounding them to wipe the smudge from his clothes and shield, though much of the stench remained. "I'll wash it off later," he shrugged, and then wrinkled his nose, sticking out his tongue.

Maeva didn't know it, but her face mirrored his grimace. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I just—"

"Oh, you bit the toad," Maeva recalled with a chortle. "That can't be healthy."

Link might have been offended if her unguarded smile wasn't so rare. Although it was at his expense, he only returned it with a sheepish chuckle. "Probably not, huh?"

"This is no laughing matter, Link!" said Ooccoo, fluttering down on his head. "Maeva, do you have a clean piece of cloth he might use?"

"I have some excess bandages, I think," she mumbled, reaching into her pouch, but Link waved his hands vigorously in refusal.

"S'fine, it's fine," he said, taking a handkerchief from his Pocket, which Ooccoo Junior presented proudly. "I have my own."

While Link wiped his tongue on an old blue handkerchief, whorls of shadow rose from the water to form Midna, arms akimbo. "So you've gotten rid of that pest. Maybe it's time to get going?" she suggested. In the Twili tongue, she said to Maeva, "You're certainly taking your sweet time. Is it this form, or have you simply turned your back on the shadows already?"

The girl clenched her fists. "I can assure you that I haven't."

She received only laughter for her stern expression. "We'll see!"

Shrugging off the imp, Maeva stalked off, but her dark mood disappeared as soon as she saw her treasure chest among the blobs of Deku Toad innards. The monster had slobbered all over it and Link's plan had covered it in black entrails, but she remained anxious to see its contents. Gingerly pressing it open, Maeva's eyes widened – and then her eyebrows furrowed, her hands lifting the obect into the air. A metal claw with a chain wrapped around its wooden base.

"Hey, what's that?" asked Link, handkerchief gone when he stood next to her.

It wasn't that Link considered himself particularly intelligent. Back in Ordon Village, he'd developed a particular sense of creativity – in his father's eyes, it'd sometimes even been curiosity that stretched to the point of stupidity, but his mother only encouraged him.

Fado had been the strong one, after all, hefting things around and winning at many of the physical challenges they set themselves to completing as children, while Ilia was the smart one, often surrounding herself with books when the boys were being petty and wouldn't let her join their games. (To the credit of their youthful selves, she couldn't do much when their parents forced them to, anyway.) He had been the odd one out, and not simply for his ears; past strength and knowledge, there was need for little else in group dynamics, but Link eventually found ways to circumvent their superiority in those terms.

When it came to wrangling, for example, Fado would never know that the goats had certain patterns to the way they speared their horns left and right. While his friend found the tests Ilia insisted on using to 'keep their minds aloft amidst the hard labor', Link found the problem easily solved when he discovered that she was terribly distracted by the disjointed barking of Malo and Talo's dog, whenever he sent Epona to the task of trotting around the fields and causing a ruckus with the cuccos.

So when Maeva shrugged and begrudgingly handed him the item, it wasn't very difficult to figure out that he need only slip his hand into the wood to unspool the tight chain connecting the claw and the base using a set of small chain links between his fingers. The claw extended swiftly from the handle, chains clinking, but hit the chamber wall with nothing to hold, and recoiled painfully against Link's fingers. His yelp drew Ooccoo Junior's attention.

"Oh, you found a clawshot!" said the boy, resting on the tip. "I haven't seen one for a long time! I feel like we've been away forever."

"A useful contraption that is commonplace in our home," Ooccoo explained when Link and Maeva quirked eyebrows at her son.

"What is it doing here, exactly?" asked Gale.

"Who knows? Taking an adventure of its own, maybe?" Ooccoo tittered. Maeva and Link exchanged blank expressions; only Ooccoo Junior laughed.

Gale continued with a cough, "Anyway, Midna's right. We have to find a way out of here."

Inspecting the clawshot with his hands, Link added, "Hopefully, this helps."

Maeva trudged through the now murky liquid beneath her knees and stood in front of the gate. Tilting her head upward, she asked, "Do you think the clawshot will work on that?"

"Oh! Good idea."

"Naturally," Maeva muttered, shrugging off his praise almost absentmindedly; the turn of her head obscured her face from view. Meanwhile, Gale gave a long 'hmmm.' "Am I the only one who thinks this is awfully convenient?"

"Maybe others have come this way before," Ooccoo Junior thought aloud. The thought seemed to excite him, as his voice grew louder and he spoke quickly, "And maybe they even used the same clawshot! And put it in that treasure chest Maeva found to preserve it, just in case someone would come here again, someday!"

Maeva gave it some thought, wondering if his theories held some form of truth in them. But if anyone had ever gone through a temple like this – what purpose could it have served? "It's merely a coincidence, Junior," she said with an almost apologetic tone.

"Most likely," agreed Link, and ended the conversation by discharging the claw upward. It clasped around the latch, and with another pull of his fingers, it loosened downward, and the gate lifted to allow them passage.

They stood on the edge of a precipice so high that only darkness greeted Maeva's vision below. A cold wind rushed in behind them right as the door closed, or perhaps it was that they were so accustomed to being at least partly stooped in water that the dry made them shiver. Maeva's chest was spared from this, but as the Zora armor was sewn with shortsleeves, goosebumps rose all over her arms.

"I want more feathers," Ooccoo Junior whimpered, looking pale.

"Too cold," his mother agreed, voice shaking.

Link raised open his Pocket and beckoned with both pity and apology, as though it were his fault they were there. "Stay inside."

Gale remained in Maeva's hands because she couldn't feel as a boomerang, and she wanted to measure the wide abyss between them and the porcelain door far across. It was greater than the gap across which the monkeys had swung them in Faron, and spotted with tall rocks flat and wide enough to step on. But the gaps between them were too wide to jump across.

It was difficult to believe that this existed within the confines of the temple; Maeva wondered about its size in comparison with Death Mountain. She remembered the place fondly, despite how sweat was all abound; at least it was a constant companion, unlike the water. She sorely missed the warmth and the friendly smiles of the Goron people she had met in the celebration; even the manipulative ways of Gor Liggs.

Link considered rousing Ooccoo Junior for a moment when Maeva gave a disappointed sigh, but shook his head twice to clear it. Amidst the rocks were two steel blue tops in constant rotation, each with five yellow latches beneath their jagged lids, fitted together like gears.

It was almost too easy.

Something snaked around Maeva's waist and clutched it, causing her to start. When she reached for her staff, she elbowed Link in the face by accident and realized the thing had been his left arm, and that they were being hoisted into the air by a little claw no bigger than his left hand and hers combined.

"Ow!"

"Oops," she remarked, blinking in surprise. When Link's forehead began to turn red where she hit him, she added with some difficulty, eyes shifty, "S…orry." And then went back to her usual tone. "But that was your fault. You should have warned me!"

Link stared at her, mouth agape in indignance, but the half-apologetic, half-haughty expression he saw made him only laugh in disbelief. Only she could say such a thing to him. "Right."

Maeva scoffed, inwardly, as the top of the first gear shifted and Link swung his feet forward, landing them on one of the high plateaus between the machines. Did he take some manner of fun out of infuriating her? Rabor had never been the type to laugh at her, and neither did Zelk to Rell, but Saemi had surmised that it was because the boy hoped to impress their youngest member, no matter if they were already arranged to marry. Siv was the eldest and had already wed Hepfi, so there was no need for that from him. But Hidram and Zant, with their respective lovers—

Link scooped her up again, aiming for the next gear and cutting off her flow of thought. And just as well, she supposed, because there was little room for memories of them. Maeva had succeeded in putting them out of her mind for the past few months, focusing on listening to Zelda's plight so she might feel for the princess's people when the time came to save Hyrule, and she would have to continue until they did.

She nodded gratefully at the goddesses when Link swung again and finally set them on the precipice they had only seen from afar. Could the three hear her from afar, she wondered?

"Do you even know where you're going?" Midna demanded out of nowhere, rising from Link's shadow to stand between them. Maeva didn't understand why she spoke in their language or why she was reprimanding _her_; in the beginning of their journey, she always yelled at Link, saving the subtle, spiteful words for her in the background. Had she taken to him to the point that her spite for Maeva would return in full force?

"We should be going _deeper _into the temple to find the Fused Shadow, not dawdling around! Maybe you're absentminded after all, but I…"

Maeva no longer concealed her exasperated sigh. "I understand," she drawled, but in the light realm's tongue, controlling her tone just to keep to a certain level of respect. Midna only shook her head and dove back into the shadows.

When Maeva raised her head again – she hadn't realized her eyes were downcast – Link was staring. "Maeva," he began, and paused. When she frowned with obvious impatience but said nothing, he continued. "You can understand Midna? When she speaks that language?"

The question gave her something else on which to focus, so Maeva nodded slowly, taking deep breaths. She reminded herself constantly that it was Midna's place to be angry, but she couldn't help the resentment. "My ear is trained to her speech. But we shouldn't dawdle about," she said, eyes catching the handlebars on the porcelain door before them, and lifted them open. "We are to find a way to the Fused Shadow. It should be at the heart of this place, like all the others."

They were crossing another mossy bridge bearing ancient writing as railings hanging over the river, and if they looked hard enough, they would see the first they passed as they entered the temple. Upon entrance, Ooccoo climbed out of Link's Pocket, noisily flapping her wings and interrupting the silence that came with appreciating the scent of the freshwater below.

"We must have gone a long way down through that slide, where we got the clawshot!" she said, head turning anxiously. "Ah! I know this place. We should enter that room with the pretty chandelier soon!"

Link nodded, but when they passed the door and the light fell upon their faces in almond-shaped fragments, he beamed. "Nice, Ooccoo. We can get our bearings here." He watched Maeva expectantly.

It felt like a lifetime past since anyone asked for her opinion, but she welcomed it like a childhood memory long lost and suddenly reclaimed, out of nowhere: with great joy, though hidden, and some pride. She nodded. "That will do."

"Great," said Link, watching the shadows ease from her face, and discharged the clawshot at the lever above them. The rotating stairs turned their way at once, water flowing down to their level, but Maeva shook her head.

"The stairs are unnecessary. We need a way deeper inside the temple. Deeper. Maybe we should return, see what lay beneath the shadows."

"We've never had to turn back before," said Link, his mind's eye cycling back to the Forest Temple and the Goron Mines, "save for some places we missed, but we've gone everywhere, and Junior's pulled all the levers."

"We can't have gone everywhere," said Gale. "Otherwise, we'd know where the Fused Shadow was."

While the two searched their surroundings, Ooccoo flew off her perch on Link's head and sat near the edge of the floor, facing the stairway. Maeva noticed immediately, for Ooccoo spoke in her shrill tones whenever she moved, and knew something was amiss when the oocca did not. "What?" asked Maeva, crouching next to the woman. She cringed almost instinctively, expecting the high-pitched voice, but Ooccoo only narrowed her eyes at the bottom of the stair's axis. A pool of water surrounded it, going even deeper.

Link stood on the other side of Ooccoo and followed her gaze. "Maybe—"

"I know," said Maeva, pulling up the black cloth, and dove right in. Swimming without crutches was the one thing she would regret being unable to do outside Lakebed Temple. She could always don the Zora armor, of course, but that would run the risk of looking silly. And the Zora would see the markings on her arms – she didn't know yet how they would take to that. The ones guarding the temple had been distracted only by their sudden appearance to notice, she supposed.

She swam the circumference of the pool, going as deep as she could, but there were only grates at the bottom leading nowhere. When Maeva rose, she came out to the other side of the area. Link had already followed her form and stood above her, waiting for her to speak. "Nothing," she said, back against the staircase axis. The moss pressed against her neck when she tilted her head upward, searching for a way back to her companions, but they paid her no mind, eyes trained on something above her. They seemed to discuss something. Huffing, she climbed the moss behind her and found the object of their ruminations.

It was a door wrapped in chains. Maeva saw then that the water level in the room had risen thanks to Ooccoo Junior's love of lever-pulling, because she hadn't taken notice of it earlier.

Link narrowed his eyes at the door next to Maeva. "You don't think…"

"Come now," said Ooccoo, "Adventurers live for the unknown! And I smell treasure."

Maeva shot them both dirty looks. "And you couldn't have said this earlier, before we began traipsing around the temple?"

"Wel, I couldn't have, really!" said the oocca, flying toward her and landing on her head. Maeva squinted up at her with some annoyance, but Ooccoo didn't tighten her claws around her scalp as she had in the Forest Temple, so she gave only a shake of her head. "Stay still, dear. The way seemed clouded earlier…must have been all the water missing! But my senses are clear now. Isn't that right, dear?" she called out in Link's direction.

"Yeah!" Ooccoo Junior chirped, appearing from Link's bag. "It's definitely here!" Slightly bouncing, he hovered next to Maeva. "If only we could open this door…"

"Do you think you can teleport inside?" asked Maeva. "As in the Goron Mines?"

"He doesn't know what it's like inside," said Ooccoo. "It's dangerous."

"I could try," he offered anyway.

"No, it's fine," said Maeva. She clasped her hands around the knot formed by the chains and squeezed, concentrating on putting strength into the shadows beneath her palms. The tendrils under her fingers seeped into the weakest links, chipping at them with all her might.

"Maeva, what are you doing?" asked Link, his bewilderment ringing clearly. Even he wouldn't have thought to try that; at least, not as a human. Her muscles hardly even showed as they had whenever she hung from his grasp – was she really trying, or simply acting, and why? Just when he thought he had her general character mapped out – she ignored the calls of their other companions, too. "Maeva…"

She whirled at him breathlessly, mouth open and ready with a retort, but the beads of sweat over her brows dripped into her lashes. Blinking, she batted away at them and released the chains, unslinking from each other and clattering into a pile beside her. Link swallowed whatever remark he'd formed in his mind. "…Wow."

"You did it, Maeva!" the oocca pair laughed. Floating beside Link, Gale gave a sharp whistle. "Talk about strength!"

Maeva only nodded, still recovering from the exercise. She hadn't attempted to manipulate the shadows to such an extent since, perhaps, the Faron province. So it was that length of time which Midna had noticed. She'd scoffed at her attempts to do so earlier as a human, but not a half hour had passed since she scolded Maeva for ceasing them. When Link's hand squeezed her shoulder, she came out of her thoughts.

"Nice work," he said, water dripping from his nose into his smile. "I guess I should think twice about who to let the Gorons wrestle next time."

The exchange felt familiar, so even as she was unable to form a coherent thought in her mind, Maeva was able to roll her eyes. "Didn't I tell you so?"

"I stand corrected," Link replied with a grin.

What was he so happy about, now? But Maeva didn't bother asking, for the door had lowered and their companions were already flying in. In any case, she was tired, which made her much more prone to saying hurtful things.

"My, this room is certainly – tiny," Ooccoo said from inside.

"Maeva, are you coming?" Link called.

And when had she begun to care how her words would affect Link? Maeva sighed, following Ooccoo Junior when he came out to fetch her. She knew the answer was Ilia. It crossed her mind – for the sake of the others, of course – that she would undoubtedly drive him away from them if she continued to spite him. At any rate, the action seemed perfunctory now, even excessive. When he wasn't being infuriating, after all, his presence was a nice touch to her day. Not that he could ever find out.

If Ooccoo said anything was small, it must have been true; in fact, if Link had been three inches taller, he wouldn't have fit inside the room. The only thing of note was a small circular grate in its center.

"I smell water," said Link.

"It smells that way everywhere," replied Maeva.

"I smell treasure!" declared Ooccoo Junior, and was backed by his mother with a series of vigorous nods. Gale was quiet.

"Ooccoo is right," said Midna, appearing with her little legs crossed over the lid. "I can feel the piece – down there." She quirked a brow ridge at Maeva. "Can't you?"

Maeva kept the shadows on her feet firmly still. Indeed she could attest to the dark power's existence beneath them, but when she removed her effort, her sense of it disappeared. She scratched at a stinging itch on her right shoulder. It must have been her abundant use of it earlier; like she was drawing from a limited pool of power and it had dried up when she broke the door chains. "Barely," was her answer.

"Well…that can only be because of your complacency," said Midna.

Something bubbled in the back of Maeva's mind. It caused her fists to clench and shoulders to shake. "I'm not complacent!" she shouted, a late response. "I wouldn't be fighting if I were complacent!"

The silence was heavy when she was finished, the others glancing between Maeva and Midna, ready to prevent anything they might start, but Midna chose not to respond. She turned to the others. "Anyway, this is the last piece, everyone. Maeva and I are sorry to have dragged you all over the place…trust me, we wouldn't have if we didn't need all your help. But just a little more and we should be home free! When we're done with that usurper, we can even find your city in the sky, Ooccoo. Junior."

"You'd be welcome always," replied the oocca, smiling, both at the thought and with relief, and then Midna dissipated into her shadow.

While the others discussed plans prematurely, in Link's opinion, he watched a silently seething Maeva.

"What?" she snapped when she noticed him.

"Nothing," he said, crouching down next to her and lifting the glass lid. "But this…seems more like a prison than a treasure chamber. A lot like Darbus's place, but underwater."

Maeva knelt beside him, much less on edge than a few seconds past. "So you think," she asked, "we'll face something down there?

Link nodded. "We should be careful." When their companions fit into his Pocket, he asked her, "Ready?"

His kindly smile was irritating, but she found it was mostly because she couldn't mirror it even in her mind. It shouldn't have been her way, to allow Midna's anger to dampen her spirits. Taking a deep breath, she nodded, but Link looked troubled as he stared into the water. It wasn't often she saw his eyebrows furrow.

Maeva knew all he could see were shadows. "Are you afraid the dark?" she laughed.

Link stiffened before smiling easily. "It's not that," he answered. "We can't exactly see in the dark, can we? We won't know which direction to go, and I don't see any light down there."

"Oh—" Maeva saved with a feigned expression of worry, and then climbed into the grate. "Yes, obviously. But I've a better feel for things, wearing almost all the armor. You may swim closer to me while I navigate." But then that was the entire point, she realized, so he couldn't even if he wanted to. Which she was sure he didn't.

"Here," she said, offering her hand. Link looked at her in confusion for almost a minute before he took it with a smile. It threw off Maeva, who sputtered a little. "Well—don't be. Don't be flattered. I'm…this is because – because you're helpless! You know."

Link answered with a lopsided grin. "Thanks, Maeva. I know I can count on you."

"Flatterer," Maeva scoffed, but pulled the black cloth over her nose when her face began to feel very hot, and pulled Link inside. They went even deeper into the lakebed, further than she could have imagined. The way was cylindrical in shape, like many tall rooms in the Temple, its walls covered in porcelain tiles. Link looked around blindly, helplessly as she tugged him along, his grip tight around her fingers.

"There's a light in the distance," Maeva said clearly through the cloth much later, but it wasn't as far as she thought. She could see sand at the bottom, and eight wooden pillars forming a circle planted deep inside it. A translucent pink tentacle of some sort floated about in the center, rooted into the sand as well, and illuminated the chamber with an eerie crackling blue light.

They swam to the very bottom, and even without effort Maeva could feel the dark power humming beneath their feet. Tapping one, she said, "It's here. Probably in this monster. We should cut it down before it notices us."

As though it was a secret knock or a password, the ground shook and the sand receded abruptly into a crater. A sphere of white slid towards the end of the tentacle, and then it rolled about and revealed itself as an eye not unlike Midna's. "It's in that monster," Maeva said with full certainty. "The dark power is in that monster!"

Maeva felt a tug at her fingers and saw that it was Link, asking for her to release his hand. Once she did, he swam to the tentacle, swinging a sword at the eye, but the water slowed his movements. The eye lowered itself into the sand again.

In a matter of seconds, before Maeva could understand the situation, a great bronze bulb had risen and taken the place of the crater, the same glowing tentacles swaying from its sides. A wrinkly red sphere inside opened to reveal sharp teeth. It was the monster Morpheel, though they wouldn't know it till months later.

Maeva cringed. Bombs might work – in fact, she was beginning to think that if Barnes could only control the time of explosion, they would be very useful in a long-range battle – but the water bombs the blacksmith gave Link were in his Pocket, and opening it would mean drowning their companions inside.

"What is that?" asked Link as they swam away from the thing, "A manifestation of the last piece, or something possessed, like Darbus?"

"It could've taken the form of a beast here," she replied. "But that's hardly the concern—wha—!"

A tentacle had snuck around Maeva's ankle and thrown her aside. When its clutch loosened and she recovered, it had already taken Link, dangling him over its mouth. It seemed monsters had a taste for the chosen hero of the gods, who swung at it to no avail. Letting out a yelp, Maeva quickly swam for the tentacle's base on the monster and pierced it with her staff. Sounds were normally muffled underwater, but Morpheel's shrieks were only amplified as he released her companion.

Maeva let out her own cry, covering her ears, but soon set to tugging at her staff. The tentacle was thick and viscous, making it difficult to retake her weapon. She looked up, around, searching for something that might anchor her and give her a better position, but only caught Morpheel's eye, staring at her from inside another tentacle.

"Maeva!" Link swam past her, "I have an idea!"

"Well? Let's hear it!" she grunted, kicking at Morpheel's bronze scales.

"Okay, but you have to trust me."

"Link!"

"All right, just – distract the fish, okay?"

Maeva cocked her head. "What fish?"

Link clapped his left hand on her shoulder in reply, the clawshot in position on his right. "I'll try to be quick!"

"Wait!" she called, though he'd already swum off. "What fish?"

Maeva heard the chomping sounds, then. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted the little cyan creatures snapping their jaws as they came for her. Suddenly she gathered the strength to yank her staff out of the Morpheel and swim away, right as they nipped at her feet. Maeva allowed the fish to reach her, seeing Link shoot the clawshot at the monster through the corner of her eye, and then caught them with the sharp end of her staff. The ones she managed to spear made croaking sounds, and then fell to the sand instead of simply floating as though they were made of lead. They were ticking a bright red, too—

"Uh-oh." Maeva wasn't able to paddle too far off, but the water contained most of the blast, and the fish managed to destroy and set off many of their brethren in the process. Just then, the Morpheel shrieked – Maeva wondered, ears protected by her hands, if that was an expression of anger towards the death of its children. She swam past the smoke and saw next to Link that the monster hadn't been some form of bulb as the shrub in the Forest Temple, body covered in hard scales and spikes, save for its head, dominated by tentacles and that wide inverted mouth.

"How do we defeat _that_?" she muttered.

Link took a deep breath. It was the first time Maeva saw him look daunted, or maybe it was because she had never cared to look at his face during the battle with Darbus and that Diababa. "The eye is still exposed," he said, "I have a plan."

"Yes?"

"Wait here," he answered, and swam up to where Morpheel circled the area atop the brown pillars. The discharging claw shot out, chasing the monster's eye, but though it was designed so that water would not hinder its speed, Link's aim was off and gave no consideration as to the Morpheel's movement.

Maeva growled, giving chase to both. How could he even think of taking responsibility for this on his own? When she reached him, Link appeared just as frustrated with his misses, but his voice betrayed none of it. "I can't get to it. When I get too close in front of him, his tentacles snap at me."

Before she could snatch it from him, he took her right hand and fitted the clawshot on it. "Pull down on the chain between your middle and ring finger to use the automatic mechanism. Can you try to anchor us to the eyelid?"

"There won't be a try," she replied, but the clawshot barely moved farther than her arm before recoiling.

Link shook his head. "I know it hurts, but pull harder!"

"You could have said it earlier," grumbled Maeva, but swam closer and aimed the clawshot along the Morpheel's path. This would definitely find its mark. "There—_oof_!"

The Morpheel had spotted her and set to sucking them into the vacuum of its mouth. Link tackle-swam her out of the way, saying, "No, no, aim from the back! This was exactly my problem."

"You know, you're starting to get a little bossy!" Maeva remarked, but took his words to heart. This was her specialty, after all. She didn't protest when Link dragged her away from the Morpheel's head and nearer the spikes of its body. When they were close enough behind its eye, she fired the claw and landed it inside the eye. "Did it—whoa!"

Morpheel shrieked, its eye searching in all directions while the chain recoiled in reverse, hauling Maeva forward. Hand clasped over her left, Link allowed himself to be dragged along and nodded at Maeva when they landed on the Morpheel. It swerved sharply and attempted to throw them off, but the clawshot was closed against its eye, which was much bigger up close and was beginning to tear up from the claw's pinching hold.

After what seemed like ages peering into the its red depths, focusing on staying afloat, Link cleaved his sword down on the eye. Immediately, Maeva unhooked the clawshot and reached to cover her ears. Link followed suit and dislodged his sword as the Morpheel thrashed about, wailing terribly until it crashed into the wall in its blind rage.

Maeva wondered what could lie outside the chamber's walls, for the water began to drain in a vicious whirlpool where the monster created a hole. Far from it, they hardly felt the pull, but inadvertently lowered towards the sand when the water level decreased.

The Morpheel lay still. "Is it dead?" asked Maeva, approaching it when the water was below her ankles.

The monster's bloody eye popped out and spun until it took the form of a heart container. Its scales ejected from its skin, revealing only shadows, which themselves scattered into particles floating all around them, and then assembled to form the last Fused Shadow. Something bright blue lit the area around them, still from unknown sources, as though the absence of the dark power necessitated the light.

Without its influence, Morpheel's form was that of a small eel, no longer than a prone Link. "It is now," he replied belatedly, lifting his Pocket open.

Midna appeared alongside Ooccoo, Junior and Gale, who delighted in the heart container's appearance, no matter if it was to be expected with the acquisition of the Fused Shadow. Maeva cherished the boost of energy. It seemed like ages since they'd eaten, but already she felt stronger. It was all she needed, after all – if she had more strength, she would have defeated Zant, could have saved their people.

"This is it!" Midna exclaimed, the piece rotating above her arms. "Now we can do something about Zant and his false power…"

"And then we can go home, too! Right, mama?" asked Ooccoo Junior, flitting to Link before she could answer. "Will you help us, Link? I want us to be together for our next adventure!"

"Sure," answered Link, smiling, but the matter of Zant still hung in the air. From what he understood, after all, the man had done horrible things to Midna's and Maeva's people, especially Maeva's parents, whose deaths still appeared to be a fresh wound for her. The girl herself stood off to the side, next to a floating Gale, but they didn't speak.

"Hey, Maeva," he said, when Ooccoo Junior cheered and asked his mother if she heard that Link had given his assent.

"Hmm?" Maeva replied absentmindedly, having changed into her usual clothes while the males had their backs turned, watching Midna like a hawk as the imp opened a portal of black and green over the water.

Link stepped forward and blocked her view. "About the bossy thing earlier…I don't mean to be. What I meant was—"

"What are you apologizing for?" Midna's voice cut sharply through his soft tone. "Like I said earlier, sometimes you have to be that way for Maeva to understand."

Link turned around, raising a hand to stop her. "Midna—"

He wasn't prepared for Maeva, who shoved past him to stand before the floating woman. "What?" she demanded, voice so loud that had Gale been high up in the temple, she still would have heard the echo of the girl's anger.

"What haven't I done to gain your ire? I _understand_, Midna. I understand how furious you must be, how you must resent my presence every day – I know! Whatever hatred you feel for me, for my existence, I've felt it a million times more. And never does it abate!"

The chamber was thick with shock and fury. Midna stared hotly at Maeva, daring her to continue. Ooccoo and her son exchanged glances with Gale and Link, who tried again. "Maeva—"

"Don't interrupt! This is a long time coming. Haven't I done enough? I patiently spent those months with Zelda, wasting away in a broken castle with a princess I could never hope to aid, under your orders. You deprived me of our bond for months, cut yourself away from me, the highest dishonor for one of the Nine, and I said nothing!" Her voice wavered, but she swallowed the weak emotion rising in her throat, causing a ringing in her ears.

"I know my ignorance brought them down. It brought us all down. And that is a wound I will always bear – you and I both, Midna! But I am paying my dues. I'm doing all I can...and you were my best friend! You know I would never bring harm to you willingly! So why? You have the option to let it heal. At least a little. Why do you let it fester? It's exactly what Zant did. He planted that seed of resentment and nurtured it until not even you could—"

"Don't you _ever_ compare me to that usurper!" Midna screamed, breathing uneven as she watched Maeva's cheek sting red. It should have roused her, calmed her and reminded her of better days, but the little effect of her tiny hand only persuaded her to recall what the girl had caused. "I will never be like Zant. It was you – it was you who fell for his act and followed him here!"

"Only I?" Maeva scoffed, hand on her cheek. "You knew him before I met any of you! You planted delusions of grandeur in his head, talking of great changes among our people – and I suppose you were right! Look at them now!"

Midna's eye widened. The light in the room fluctuated and dimmed as she growled. "Me? You encouraged him! I knew nothing of his plans; I'd persuaded him that he was content until you came along and agreed that going on a fancy trip to the light realm would be absolutely _wonderful_!"

"Perhaps! But you were the reason he sought out that terrifying god in the first place! If you hadn't said to him that one night that he was absolutely _brilliant_—"

"It doesn't matter!" Midna screeched, jabbing a finger between Maeva's chest. "It's your fault everybody died!"

Silence swept the room. Maeva's jaw fell slack, eyes steady until she recovered and closed her mouth, standing straight as though it was the last she could retain of her dignity. "Then," she said, blinking away tears, "I suppose you must wish that I never existed at all."

Midna's glare wavered, as though her ears had only then caught up with her own words, but she said nothing and turned away, shoulders slumped in fatigue. "I think…you should return to Zelda."

Maeva stalked over to the portal, shrugging off Link's hand before he could even reach for her shoulder. "I will see Zant's end; you can't take that away from me. But after that – I will obey, and you will have your wish."

She fragmented into the portal and disappeared. Link cast his eyes on Midna. "Midna—"

Gale sent a hushing wind his way. In cases like these, male input tended to be better unsaid. Link wasn't a regular boy, of course, but she wouldn't take her chances with what was, for some reason she wished Maeva would just share with her, such a sensitive topic. Floating at the imp's side, she said, "I don't know…did you really think that was necessary? I know there's a lot between you two that we don't understand, but—"

"You're right. There is a lot you don't understand," said Midna, less snappish than gravely. "You should stay out of it."

"Midna, dear—" Ooccoo frowned. Her son had watched the exchange, eyes fearful and then sad. It pained them all to see friends that way, no matter if Maeva deserved Midna's anger. "I've kept quiet long enough. Whatever anger you must have – you know better than anyone that words are never to be taken lightly."

Midna sighed, but replaced her challenging expression for Gale with one of apology. "…Let's go."

Link opened his mouth, but Ooccoo shot him a solemn look and shook her head. Ooccoo, of all people? Ooccoo, who squawked and chatted her way through their journey, digging her claws into his hat and saying everything that came to mind, was now the reasonable one in their party, and telling Midna off? He could almost swear that it was another vision by Lanayru, except Maeva wasn't there and so it couldn't have been.

"Come on, Link," said Ooccoo Junior, his voice that was often as loud as his mother's then as quiet as a mouse's, as small as his own body. The boy's strong nudge surprised him into a tumble, but he fell into Midna's portal with their companions all the same.

A blunt force knocked Link on his posterior as soon as he recognized the dewy scent of Lanayru's spring.

"No!" Maeva cried. She had pushed him back when they appeared, as though a portal still existed beneath him. "Midna, go back!"

Link reached for his painful tailbone, about to ask what the matter had been when he saw the unfamiliar brown shoes some ways before him, yellowing ankle wrappings similar to Maeva's above them. Automatically, then, his eyes traveled upward. A black cloak glowing with green lines, letters he would never understand, with strips of white cloth at the baggy wrist sleeves and a red insignia draped at the center. A part of him – so deep inside that he could swear it must have belonged to someone else – knew he should have recognized it, but he didn't have time for introspection. It was making a sound—that triangular steel helm that made for a deformed lizard face, narrow irises bulging and tongue curled out in a taunt.

The figure was tall – taller than him, certainly, and he would stand to check just by how much if Maeva wasn't still holding her arms behind her as if she were defending him from Lord Bullbo – but he wasn't instilled with the fear that seemed to have gripped his companions. He was shocked, to be sure, but a strong emotion pervaded all thought, one he had never felt in all his twenty-one years.

Link's shadow stretched forward, but it wasn't Midna attempting to get out – he felt holy light shine from behind him. The figure waved an arm, and the light dimmed. He couldn't see it himself, but he could tell when Maeva whirled and watched with a horrified gaze filled with unabashed fear that Lanayru had been overpowered.

The shoulders beneath the cloak shook; it was deep laughter, and suddenly Link understood that it was bubbling hatred rising in his chest.

"Little Maeva," said the figure, tilting his head slightly, mockingly, "did you honestly mean to take an ancient and withered power like this and turn it against me? Did you truly think you would survive collecting those antiques if I didn't find it an_ amusing_ diversion for you?"

"Don't come any closer," Maeva snarled, a hand firmly raised to stop him, but Link could see her knees shaking to the point that a soft breeze would send her buckling. He didn't see the shadow tendrils she tried to work against the monster before her falling limp in the face of his greater power. "Zant…!"

_Zant_. Link's eyes widened, but in some ways he had already known. He jerked, as though waking from a trance, but he could only move his neck. To his right, Ooccoo, Gale and and Ooccoo Junior, frozen in the air. To his left, a floating Midna, closed mouth bound by nothing, but she shook her head and struggled as though a hand was clamped over it.

"Don't you touch her again," Maeva continued. "You were never worthy!"

Zant gave only another chuckle and turned his head to Midna. "Tut, tut. I was so certain that you would cease your association with this foolish traitor. She betrayed us both, you know. Why do you defy your King to keep friendship with a truant? Return to my side. It has always been your place."

"Never," said Midna hoarsely, managing to open her mouth. "My _king_?" her tone dripped with venom. "You, who do nothing but abuse your magic? You must be joking!"

Link could have sworn he saw Zant's foot twitch in an odd upward angle, but he had no time to process it when Midna grunted in pain beside him, her body slammed against the air as though she'd hit some wall. He tried to move, begging even just his fingers to curl, but their bodies were at Zant's mercy. A little more and Link would touch upon the desire to scream in frustration.

"How dare you?" Zant rasped, his deep voice raising slightly. "Are you implying—"

Maeva let out a shriek that might have rivaled Morpheel's, fury flashing across her face in uncontrollable rage. Her body was stuck, just like the rest of them, but she thrashed about so much in her mind's eye that her foot moved almost an inch. "Don't touch her!" she screeched. "If you touch her again, you usurping traitor, I swear by Din's fire I will rip you apart!"

Zant gave a long, affected sigh. "What would Rabor think upon hearing such vulgar words? …Ah, forgive me – he was a traitor, too. Then again, his life always mattered little to you. But – this human!"

Link lost his sprawled footing on the ground and felt a force lift him into the air by the neck. He tried not to show pain, but his body couldn't help but choke.

"Link has no business with you—" Maeva spoke lamely, before her voice started again. "Release him! Haven't you killed enough?"

"I wondered the same after you murdered your parents, little Maeva, but on you went, slaying our kinsmen." Zant laughed. "Have you replaced us with him? With this…_Link_?" he spat. "Don't you understand? That boy is one of the light dwellers who oppressed our people. No matter how much you may desire otherwise, you will never be more than a shadow in their world. You cannot consort with their kind!"

"Only you believe that," Maeva replied, but the hopelessness rang in her voice. "I only wanted to look upon them, but you – I could never see that you wanted their destruction so ardently. And all for this hatred, you tore us apart, turned traitor…!"

"You call me a traitor," said Zant, "but it was you who wished to become as them, to remove all traces of our history! Do you think your companions will continue to stand by you when they discover what you are?" He turned his head to them, dropping Link. "A glimpse should be enough for these light creatures to spurn you."

Maeva had been certain that the extent of physical pain could go no further than the time he'd brought out their markings until she felt his power scraping from one ear to the next. When Zant's god had granted her the skin, it felt like her own – there was a hot sensation when she came close to magma, and her fingers were difficult to move in the cold atmosphere of the frozen Zora Domain, though the blush and the blue caused by the environment of the light realm hardly ever showed outwardly – and so this removal felt like he'd pressed a knife to her ear and peeled, slowly, as if to savor the moment. Far beyond the high-pitched tone ringing in her ear, she could hear screaming, but she couldn't tell if it was Gale's, Ooccoo's, Midna's, or hers.

It wasn't long after green bands around her wrists and ankles shed off her fair complexion back like shackles when she passed out. They weren't bands, however, but her true skin, dark green like Midna's with glowing clover etchings. Zant lifted an arm and Maeva was hefted into the air, eyes forced open to reveal red irises as bright as those belonging to Midna, who screamed at Zant in the language Link didn't comprehend. Conscious again, Maeva weakly shook her head, but her lips seemed glued together.

"Do you still want her?"

Link had only just shouted angrily and moved, forced himself to stand and lunge at Zant when he was thrown back. The monster seemed almost surprised at his ability to move so freely, taking a step back and losing enough concentration to drop Maeva, until he laughed back his confidence.

"Maeva…" Link groaned raspily, willing himself up. It crossed his mind, out of nowhere, that this was what Lanayru had meant, that her red eyes and her glowing markings were no illusion or example, but he didn't care. "Are you—"

"Stay back," she cried, turning her face away from him yet moving to serve as a barrier between him and Zant. "You'll—he'll kill you!"

"Fool!" Zant sneered. "Did you think to fight against the power granted to me by my god? It is the magic of the king of Twilight, and you _will_ respect it!"

"You are a monster, Zant!" Midna screamed, still struggling.

Zant spoke as if she hadn't, his condescending tone giving way to one of a conspicuous attempt at persuasion. If Link wasn't blinded by anger, he might have recognized it as desperation. But he was too busy fighting to move, listening to the screams dying in Maeva's throat and watching her tears of frustration to notice Zant step closer to Midna.

He leaned his head close to hers, the tongue of his reptilian helm lifting to reveal his white lips hovering over Midna's ear. "We can make their world ours, and light and darkness can meet at last! This is why I need you. Not just for me, but for all our people. Lend me your power, my Midna…"

She spat on his face and repeated, "Never."

Zant reared back as though burnt. Wiping his face with his cloak, his helm shut with a _clang_ of finality.

"So be it," he said coldly. "I will return you to the light world you covet!"

A familiar warmth filled the room, and the holy light to which they had grown accustomed was painful. Not for of its blinding glare, Link realized, but because it elicited an ear-splitting cry from Midna. He scrambled to his feet and was surprised that he could move; even more surprised that Maeva backed into him as though she was trying to stop him.

When he took her full weight and attempted to push back, Link caught a glimpse over her shoulder and saw that though her mouth was still clamped shut, the flesh of her hands peeled back into green like melting paint as they trembled violently against a red sphere of light pushing at her, causing her whole body to shake.

It was a rock. Maeva felt the full concentration of Zant's power within it encased in the bloody signature of his god. He must have thought that Midna's cry would distract her, but it only gave her more reason to train her mind to his presence. Zant had hurled it at Link; on instinct, Maeva blocked its way and caught it in her palms. Midna would have done the same, something said in her mind. It was almost as loud as the thought that Link wouldn't have hesitated to protect her from something so evil, in turn.

Midna's limp body fell downward, but when she collapsed on the ground, they were no longer in Lanayru's cave. It was dark, but there was the natural light of the moon over them. Up ahead, Hyrule Castle wasn't far off. Link and Maeva were sprawled on the ground, Ooccoo, Junior, and Gale beside them. Midna lay on Maeva's stomach. She was an exceedingly pale green and her fiery hair was the dying wisp of a flame.

"Hero chosen by the goddesses," Lanayru's panting voice echoed from far away, "My power can only sustain her for little more than a day. You must go to the princess locked away in the castle…"

Link opened his eyes and found Ooccoo and Gale cursing their helplessness and weeping over their companions. Ooccoo Junior was out cold, too.

"Link, dear," Ooccoo's clear voice pulled him from the frenzy that was his mind. "We have to find that princess in the castle!"

"Maeva doesn't look much better," said Gale, her voice quivering with worry. Link stared at them for a second and quickly attempted to stand, only for his legs to wobble. "You're in shock," she said. "T-Tired. You can't expect to walk all the way…"

"Then what can I do?" Link found his voice in that brief spike of anger. Ooccoo's head turned to him, though she didn't appear as shocked as he expected. Gale was as quiet as, it seemed, the plain around them. "I can't just…" His shoulders slumped. "We need Epona. I asked Telma to bring her back to the castle town."

Without a word, Gale sent a wind around the plain. The cyclone returned to him a summoning reed. Link felt the childish urge to bat away at the cold furiously, even though he knew it wasn't the fairy's intention. Instead, he nodded gratefully. When he put his mouth to the reed and played, Maeva stirred.

"Maeva!" they exclaimed, but she sat and held Midna's limp body to herself, watching them all with a look he hadn't seen since they first met at Ordona's spring. Maeva raised her hand to them, warily reminiscent of a cornered beast prepared to strike at any moment.

"Don't—don't look at me!" she cried out, and Link knew at once that he never wanted her to look at him in that manner ever again. He reached out and gripped her by the shoulders so tightly that she winced.

"We're okay, Maeva," he said softly, no matter if his breathing was ragged. Midna's patterns didn't give him hope, either. "Lanayru got us away before…"

Maeva shook her head, left arm still around Midna, gaze flitting between her companions and her free hand, partly green and partly the color of regular human flesh. It reached for her eyes. "But I—I'm—"

"No one cares, Maeva," Gale snapped.

Maeva ceased her sputtering. Finally, she held their gazes for more than a second. "Don't you?"

"If your true form repulsed us as you believe, dear, well, why would we accept Midna to begin with?" asked Ooccoo, wing on her arm. Her son lay still on her back. "We are all a different manner of creature."

Maeva accepted Ooccoo's wing with a squeeze of her hand, then froze. Link wasn't saying a word. She dared to meet his eyes. "Are you…angry?"

Link's sigh was a weary one, but unlike Zant's it was wholly genuine. "No, Maeva. It's just – why didn't you tell me the truth earlier? Did you really think I was so…so shallow?"

"I don't know," Maeva blurted out with an apologetic inflection all of them heard for the first time. "I don't know… It's because…I thought you would consider me a monster. It's because you're so—"

"Just to clarify," said Gale, making the sound of clearing her throat. "You're not that special, you know. I'm a _fairy_. We're pretty rare, too."

Their companions gave nods of agreement. Maeva was quiet for a long time, staring only at Midna and blinking her watering eyes in restraint, and then she looked at them all with gratitude. "Thank you."

They were too fatigued to speak after that, no matter if Link had as many questions as there were hostile bulblins he wanted to ask Maeva. She cradled Midna against her chest, murmuring things he now understood to be_ their_ language, and refused to allow anyone else to hold, much less touch her. Their companions settled inside Link's pocket, and when Epona arrived, Maeva had already found a way to sleep sitting up.

When they arrived at the gates, she was wide awake again. "How do we enter?" asked Maeva, head still lowered. The markings on her wrists glowed under the shadow of the town's outer wall as she reached up to pat her hair down. She was trying and failing to push her wispy bangs down, low enough to cover her eyes.

Link dismounted. "Wait here with Epona."

"Wait! What about—" called Maeva. Link strolled into the gate without a reply or even a sideward glance. Although she felt weak, she knew her voice had been loud enough to be heard from the immediate opposite side of the gate. This, she thought, must be the full weight of his…Maeva couldn't be certain if it was anger, distrust, or both. A time back she would have felt indignant. Who was he, after all, to expect her trust?

But in the short span of days they had taken to travel across Hyrule, somehow, he managed to make her feel as indebted to him as she was to Zelda, who could have easily surrendered her to Zant in exchange for a more pleasant cage in the castle.

The events replayed in her mind without cease, though not always in order. Midna being torn from her, exposed to the holy light to which she wasn't immune; Zant attempting to force that twilight on Link; Midna exposed to the holy light; Zant ripping out her skin; Midna exposed to the holy light; Link shouting not in disgust at her appearance but indignance for her, because for some reason…for some reason, he wanted to protect her.

She didn't know what it could be. And, of course, it would never escape her that she could do nothing to stop Zant from exposing Midna to what could have killed her had Lanayru not intervened.

Maeva felt her breath hitch and realized she was crying, saw the tear on Midna's exposed eyelid. Wiping it, she recalled a story Zant shared with them about maidens whose sweet tears could heal the gravest of wounds. More than becoming the chosen hero, she now wished she could become that maiden, or anyone, for her charge, but her tears were salty and in truth Midna was always the one who tended to her, even when she was one of the Nine and it should have been otherwise. If she had only the power…

Epona made a sound that woke Maeva from her trance. The way she whinnied softly once more, it was almost as if the mare could understand the solemn mood about them. Link emerged from the town gates, dark cloaks draped over his arm. They were simple and highly conspicuous, but loose and actually common to many stalking about the city who preferred to keep to their own business.

He helped her get down and held out first a cover of cloth fit for wrapping a child in. Upon remembering the Fused Shadow on Midna's head, however, Link's calm façade broke. He appeared almost worried. "Is there any way we can take this off?"

"I can…" Maeva sighed. "Here, hold her." The shadows on her fingers reached out for Midna's helmet, and Maeva almost jumped in shock. She hadn't had such control of the tendrils since before she was granted the human flesh. It was still limited compared to the power granted to the Nine, but here was a boon from Zant's punishment. The tendrils lifted the Fused Shadow in the air and integrated it into themselves, into her. Maeva gasped at the burst of power, though it was cut short by its state of fragmentation.

Link nodded and fit Midna into the cloth. She looked to be an overgrown child, but accompanied by them, hooded with only a glimpse to their noses, no one would think to question the sight.

When Maeva donned the cloak, she dared to speak. "How do we enter the castle?"

"Not yet," said Link, his eyes meeting hers for the first time since he returned. Maeva felt such relief when he neither flinched nor appeared to have any pity for her, for that would only wound her shattered ego; and then a knotting in her stomach reminded her that it could be because he was angry. "We should get to an inn."

"No…we have to save Midna now. Can you see her? She looks so…so gray! It's not—"

Link squeezed her shoulder. "Maeva," he said quietly, "Lanayru said it could keep her alive for more than a day. I trust it."

"The way we trusted it to protect us from Zant?" she demanded hysterically.

"Listen," Link hissed, but his gaze softened. "This is as much for you as it is for Midna. We know the castle is guarded by the beasts. We can't storm in there with you…looking like this. You're about to collapse."

Maeva did feel weary. Still, she retorted, "You look worse for wear, too."

"All the more reason," he replied, and lifted his hood. "Let's go."

The cloaks did garner odd looks from the town, but they were largely ignored and Link soon guided them into the narrow alleys Maeva preferred in their suspicious apparel. She kept her eyes on Midna all the while, forgetting even to look curiously as Link led them past the colorful lights of Fanadi's Palace.

"Here," he said when they stopped at an unfamiliar road, handing her a small key and the Pocket. "Two doors before the road intersects here is an Inn. I reserved a large room with three beds. Second floor, last one down the hall."

"Where will you go?"

"Returning Epona to the town stable. The owner will definitely have told Telma she ran off…but we'll talk with her tomorrow. I remember she mentioned a way into the castle."

Maeva nodded and slinked so silently into the darkness that Link wondered why he ever missed how comfortable she was there. Epona, too, maintained a solemn trot back to the stable, though she nuzzled her head against his leading arm the way back. It was tempting to rush to Telma now, ask for that passage into the castle she promised. He almost didn't care if he had to drag Renado from Kakariko to take her out to that café that seemed so popular with the townspeople here to get it out of her. He would go to that castle and clear out the monsters and return to Maeva and Midna and get them through safely.

Link wanted to do all those things, but he knew it was his fatigue talking. He hadn't felt this high strung with emotion since he was a child. That Maeva hadn't trusted him enough to tell him about her had upset him, but he wasn't even slighted by it anymore. From the way she spoke, she had done it for his approval…and the others'. He hadn't even thought that she considered that he had an opinion.

Bidding Epona good night and allowing her a last nuzzle, he turned and went straight for their inn, avoiding stray thoughts about uncovering Zant's mask and tearing his face apart with his beastly teeth, if he could ever get into that form again. Instead he thought of Lanayru's vision before it went awry. Could the light spirit really peer into his mind, heart, memories? His father had always asked his mother to watch the sunrise with him.

The inn he chose wasn't in the expensive part of town, but neither was it cheap by any means. He'd passed by it the day before during his trip to the man who'd owed Telma a caravan – that felt like a lifetime ago – and thought the painting of the rooms looked rather homely, but still gave an impression of being on vacation. (At least, what he'd imagined it to be. He'd never been on one and depended on his mother's stories about her youth for those.)

To his surprise, the room looked even better than in the painting. It was carpeted a deep red, the bedsheets and pillows were bright summer colors of orange, brown, and yellow, and the walls were a relaxing creamy white. Two lamps lit the room between the three beds, and one was standing on the desk near the balcony which opened into the lively evening.

The lamps were put out when Link entered, however, and only moonbeams crept past the curtains to lengthen the shadows of the room. Maeva had laid Ooccoo, Junior and Gale on the bed nearest the door. She sat by the edge of the one near the window, hand perched lightly on Midna's small ankle.

Taking an unused blanket from the Pocket tossed unceremoniously on what he guessed was his bed, Link placed it over her shoulders. Maeva jumped, reaching for her staff behind her, but it was on the floor next to the bed. She relaxed at the sight of him and nodded in greeting.

"You've got to rest, Maeva."

Maeva muttered something in reply.

Link sat beside her, taking in Midna's helpless state before asking, "What was that?"

"I don't know why I was surprised."

"Surprised…?"

"That Zant did this to us," she answered, looking at him. Link had liked the flecks of honey in her hazel eyes, but her red eyes, he realized, were natural no matter how odd. It was like seeing her again for the first time – to his surprise, his opinion hadn't changed. "Why I allowed a part of me to hope that he was still the man we grew up with. He was the one who gave me the markings, after all, after I received the human flesh."

After a pause, she added almost inaudibly, "His god asked me what I desired in exchange for loyalty, and thinking only that he was kind, I said…to dwell in the light realm without hindrance. I suppose – he saw into my heart, because he gave me this flesh."

Link gnawed on his inner cheek before reaching out for Maeva's hand. Her knuckles were sticky with tears. "I don't know what happened between you and Midna and Zant," he offered, "but you're a good person, Maeva."

Maeva clenched her fist at the statement, almost withdrew her hand, but didn't appear angry. Almost grateful, or the moon was playing with his mind. "I really did kill my own parents, you know."

Link didn't remove his gaze. "Did you want to?"

Maeva seemed to regret bringing it up immediately. Her face scrunched up like she was about to wail, but she took a sharp breath and collected herself. When she replied, she looked only very sad. "No."

"You're not a murderer," he said. Her true skin was soft and velvety, the markings on the back of her palm smooth as steel, but warm as the sunlight. The human flesh next to it, as she called it, was dry, almost flaky. He wondered why she'd ever want to replace the real thing. "Whatever the interlopers did…you had no part in it. No matter what these markings say."

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because," he answered without falter, shocking even himself, "I've trusted you with my life and you haven't failed me yet, Maeva. And I…I'm your friend. Even if you hate me."

Something in Maeva's chest twisted at that. "I don't hate you," she said after a pause. How could she now, when it was all thanks to him that she had gotten this far? No matter the futility, he tried to help Midna, help her when Zant attacked. Maeva knew now that it wasn't hatred she harbored for him at all. She felt unworthy before the chosen hero. Before Link, first and foremost. Her pride at being one of the Nine had birthed her envy, but she knew now that he was the beast from the stories in her childhood.

"You've offered me your friendship countless times even when I've done nothing to earn it. If it isn't too late…I'd like to be a friend to you too, Link."

Her hand removed itself from under his, but her left took it even more tightly – to shake it. Link was possessed with the urge to embrace her, but she had already turned away. Reaching for her shoulder, he said, "Go to sleep, Maeva. We're going to Princess Zelda even if we have to take over that castle ourselves."

Maeva turned, and later, when Link collapsed into bed, unable to sleep, he knew he would never forget the first genuine smile she had ever given him.

* * *

><p>Maeva woke to whimpering. She started, pulling herself upright, and reached for the imp at her side. She had become gray over the course of the cold night. Her markings now barely glowed, and her hair was losing its color. Didn't Lanayru say <em>more than a day<em>? It had only been nearly half! Throat weakened by the threat of tears, Maeva whispered,

"Midna?"

She couldn't hear her own voice. Forcing herself to rise, Maeva parted the opaque curtains and saw the dark clouds poised above the castle town. The rain beat hard against the roof and the balcony outside the glass doors.

"Maeva!" came Ooccoo Junior's cry. Maeva cringed, knowing full well that it was the first time they would speak since Zant's revelation, but the boy only met her with a smile. In fact, and she didn't know which of their companions had put him up to it, he comforted her at once with his words, perching on her shoulder. "I just want you to know that you're pretty even if that evil Zant did that to you!"

She couldn't resist the young oocca. He'd flitted his way into her heart, irrevocably. With the tiniest smile, Maeva thanked him and asked, "Where are the others, Junior?"

"Out with Link. I was keeping an eye on us. I'm just glad we're all safe, Maeva!" said Ooccoo Junior, then turned to her bed. "And Midna's going to be saved, too."

Despite her worry, Maeva nodded her acceptance. To her surprise, Ooccoo Junior sat with her in silence, stroking Midna's hand and listening to nature's din. The rain must have been loud or she must've been thinking about things she couldn't remember – that was a lie, it consumed her mind ever and always that she was powerless when it came to protecting Midna – because when Link returned and Ooccoo Junior greeted him with his usual enthusiasm, she hardly noticed.

"Good morning, Junior," Link replied. "Gale and Ooccoo are with Epona at the stables. They insisted on keeping her company."

Maeva turned in surprise at the sound of his voice, but hers was mellow when she said, "Good morning."

Any trace of Link ever acting tough or yelling at her had disappeared. He granted her only a smile as he lifted something in his left hand. "I bought a basket," he explained. Dark brown, nearly black, it was woven neatly but without any remarkable designs. He'd taken the most affordable one Midna's size, having focused on the quality of cloth with which they would wrap her. "So we can carry Midna to the castle without having a hard time. Oh, and I have some lunch."

Maeva accepted the meal and looked back out the window, to the raindrops, growing in intensity, demanding their attention. The rain was not a shield, nor did it wash away the impurities surrounding them. It served only as a reminder that she was nothing to true forces of nature: Zant, his god, Link. And yet she could no longer begrudge the last for his ability, for the favor he'd been granted. She was only glad that in her powerlessness, she'd been granted such loyal companions.

"Thank you. I didn't know the market was open so early in the morning."

"Actually," said Link, "it's almost lunch time. It's just dark out because of the rain."

"Oh."

"That's a good thing, right, Link?" asked Ooccoo Junior. "We'll be more…um…more…incuspicious!"

"Inconspicuous," Link smiled. "Right."

"Have you gone to see Telma?" asked Maeva.

"Nope," he answered, shaking his head. "I was waiting for you. But do you want to rest first? Your ankle – it's swollen."

Wrapped in the white cloth, Maeva's ankle seemed more angular and bigger than usual. "Oh, that's only—" Her eyes widened at him. "You didn't touch it, did you?"

Link shook his head. "I didn't want to make it worse." And he didn't want her angry, just in case she still didn't want her touching him, much less unwrapping those bandages she liked to wear. "Why?"

"I believe you might get hurt if you touch the stone, so don't, all right?" said Maeva, quickly, like she had something else in mind. Taking a deep breath and squeezing her eyes shut, she faced Link. She couldn't remember when she thought she could confide anything in the Hero, be it her insecurities or pains or the aching of her left shoulder, but she dared to speak now. "Tell me, how do I face Telma? She knows what I…should look like, in my human form. She'll wonder…"

Link's sigh was almost inaudible. "Do you still think of all humans that way? That we'd shun you as soon as we see you?"

"No!" declared Ooccoo Junior.

Maeva glanced away again. She had none of his optimism. "I don't know. There are many who did. Or would. I suppose…many humans are different." Like him. _Only him_, she felt.

"Look." Link sat beside her, Ooccoo Junior nearly wedged between them. He didn't seem to mind, in any case, leaning on Link's thigh lazily. "I don't know if Telma's our friend" – he felt funny when he said _our_, he'd been saying it a lot but now it seemed like it actually meant something – "but you saved her life on that journey to Kakariko countless times. She has to know better than to shun you."

Maeva found this acceptable enough. Telma wasn't repulsed by the appearances of the oocca. Then again, she was of Zant's kind…but she hoped Link was right. "What if there are others? In the bar, I mean. It's open at this time of day, is it not?"

"You can't keep it hidden forever, but we'll come up with an excuse for now," Link acquiesced.

"Why?" Ooccoo Junior frowned, flapping his wings before Maeva. "Is it because of your eyes? Or your skin?"

Link lifted his hand to motion the child to himself, but Junior dodged and watched Maeva expectantly. "Yes, Junior," he answered anyway. "Some humans—"

"I know," said the boy. "Mama told me that some humans are easily flustered. Like Mister Fado!"

"Fado is fine," said Link briskly, as though Fado shouldn't have been mentioned at all. "I talked to him. But your mom's right. Some people, they're not intelligent enough to understand differences." Then, to Maeva as he rose, "We should go. I'll get Midna."

"It's all right. I'll do it," said Maeva, and set to picking up Midna. Wrapping her around the new cloth, she lowered her into the basket. When they were finished with lunch and Link sent Ooccoo Junior to Epona, they set out for the bar. Hopefully, when they returned to their companions, Telma had already sent them to the castle and Midna, aided by Princess Zelda.

They pushed past the busy townspeople, all in raincloaks, to reach Telma's Bar. Maeva ached from covering the rest of the basket with her free arm, but soon found repose in the shade of their destination's roof. The door, however, was locked.

"Bar's closed!" Telma announced from inside, knocking at the door before Link could. "Just for today, sorry!"

"Telma, it's us."

The door swung open. The swarthy woman's welcoming grin was a comfort to Maeva in the face of the odd stares they had received since entering the town, but she knew not to relax. Her hood was up, after all. "Hey, honey, come in! I just have a few friends over."

"Thanks, Telma," said Link, smiling as he lowered his hood and removed his cloak. Maeva was beginning to identify his smiles better. This was merely his polite one. "By the way, I was the one who called Epona from the stables, in case you hear about it."

"I'll keep that in mind." Telma watched the cloaked figure that followed him inside curiously. "Is that you, Maeva?" The figure nodded. "Well, you can take that off now, honey. You're indoors," she laughed.

"…Maeva received an injury since we saw each other last," Link said slowly, glancing at Maeva grimly. "She'd rather not show it."

"Scars are nothing to be ashamed of," Telma declared, voice booming, but shrugged. "But if that's how you feel."

"Thank you, Telma," said Maeva, and closed the door behind her.

"What's in the basket, honey?"

Maeva's head turned to the basket for a length of time. Then she answered, "Just goods I bought from the bazaar. For myself."

"That's nice," Telma said absentmindedly, then appeared to remember something. Glancing behind her, she motioned to four people positioned round a map spread out over a table.

The first was a brown-haired, bespectacled man with a book in his hands. The beginnings of a few wrinkles were on his forehead, but for all else he seemed youthful. His high cheekbones and posture made him look arrogant, in Maeva's opinion, but she supposed he was handsome enough.

Beside him sat an old man, lines prominent above his creased brows. Maeva found the graying hairs below his cheeks amusing. She wondered what that could be called, for it certainly wasn't a beard. He scratched his goatee with a thumb as Maeva's eyes narrowed on the triangles-within-a-triangle symbol strapped on his chest. Like the first young man and Link, his ears were pointed.

Between them stood a well-armored young woman, fair with hair a silky black – true ebony, at that – tied into two behind her ears. She wore a blank expression, and the last of their companions had the most inscrutable features of them all, for he wore a helm and did not bother to lift the visor.

"This is the Group I was telling you about," said Telma. "Say hey, everyone!"

Those at the table either nodded or waved, and Link replied with a smile. Still, when Telma moved closer to introduce them, Link cut her off and guided her to the bar instead. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. This'll just be quick, Telma."

Maeva knew he would ask her about the castle, and she didn't want to risk having to answer questions in case Telma became curious about what new might lie under her hood. Taking a seat next to the table on which Ralis was once laid, she set down Midna's basket and sighed. It'd become almost second nature since the encounter with Zant.

"Who might that be?"

Maeva turned her head slightly. From where she sat between the bar and the establishment's deeper interior, she could hear the whispers of Telma's friends.

"That timeless design," said the same certain voice, male, young. "Sporting the_ legendary _look!" A laugh. Maeva suppressed a growl.

"Gutsy," said the woman, then gave a _tch_ that made Maeva's lip curl. "Maybe he's an actor. But if he wanted to get stared at, he should've just joined the circus."

"He could be a costumer," said a wizened voice. The old man. "Although one wonders why Telma would allow him to trouble her at all. Unless he has any actual skill, that equipment will be of no use."

Maeva waited to hear the helmeted man's voice, but it was once more the young man who spoke next. "And bringing a _mysterious companion_ who refuses to lower her hood, as though the very sight of her would cause wonder. I don't believe he's from Hyrule proper. Seems to be from the province; rather simple-minded, too, if he thinks wearing the costume makes him anything close to a hero."

Maeva wasn't certain when she'd thrown her chair back to approach them, but when she came to her senses she had already begun angrily.

"Simple-minded?" she repeated. In hindsight, she would believe she was on edge, caused by Midna's severe condition, but at the moment it was Link, and last night she said she wanted to be a friend to him, and she would be. "I know Link, and I know people like you who believe _you_ will save Hyrule, _you_'ll protect and heal her and that Link can do only wrong, but you're the ones who are simple-minded!

"Were the task left to you, to this – this Resistance – you're powerless! You would be nothing without Link. Even now. Link has seen, known, understood, dealt with things you can only imagine! You know nothing. And for a Resistance, you certainly do a lot of _sitting around_—"

Maeva paused to breathe, watch for their reactions, but there was only partial guilt in their gazes, contrary to what she expected. They were wide-eyed, brows furrowed, the young man and woman with their mouths slightly ajar, though the helmeted man simply pursed his lips. She recognized it, then, the fear. But it was diminished from what she was accustomed to, and her suspicions were confirmed when she reached for the top of her cloak and felt that it had fallen in her ramblings.

The woman spoke first. "So that's why your hood is up..."

The young man breathed. "How bizarre."

"Interesting," agreed the old man. Maeva's first thought was to glance at Link.

He appeared shocked, too, clearly more at her outburst than her appearance. Collecting himself quickly, he nodded at Telma. "Thanks again, Telma," said Link, taking Midna's basket and placing his hand on Maeva's shoulder. "We're leaving." He threw a cursory half-smile at the others in the bar. "Stay safe."

"Wait," said the young man. "What kind of—"

"Maeva, honey," Telma blinked when she saw what they were all looking at. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Now," said Link, almost sternly, throwing on his cloak and handing Maeva the basket. His companion obeyed swiftly, walking out the door he opened and looking anywhere but Telma, though she muttered a small thanks before disappearing out the door.

Maeva released a heavy breath once Link closed the door. Sheepishly but genuinely, or at least so she liked to believe, he was grinning at her when she looked at him again. "That went well, huh?"

A smile tugged at her lips despite the situation. "I've never seen or heard you quite so rude to anybody."

"Sorry. I panicked, I guess."

Maeva didn't think he seemed panicked at all. Or perhaps she hadn't noticed – it was odd, but she was…happy? It was a long-lost, familiar happiness, the kind she'd felt in her camaraderie with Zant and Midna, and with the rest of the Nine. When getting away with as much mischief as one could was still a contest. "Well, you weren't too rude."

"Yeah?" Link's grin softened as he chuckled at her nod. "Anyway, Telma gave me this key. There's a room above the bar with a stairwell that goes directly below the castle."

Maeva gave a pleased nod and was herself surprised to find that his triumph in this didn't infuriate her. It was _their_ triumph, after all, being closer to rescuing Midna. It sounded new in her head, but good. "Ours."

Link lifted his hood. "Sorry, what?"

"That's good," she said, and it wasn't a lie.

The place upstairs looked well-polished, but inside the walls were peeling and there were only tables and chairs, like it was a meeting place. Maeva wondered why they didn't meet there instead of at Telma's bar, which interrupted her business, but she didn't like that Group anyway and decided to leave their 'plans' be. The only other thing of note was a bookshelf, which Link pulled open to reveal darkness.

Batting away the dust trapped in the passageway, Maeva peered and saw a rocky tunnel covered in webs. It was a steep incline downward, but the drop stopped not too far ahead before leveling out. It was no 'stairwell.'

"Maeva…?"

"Midna!" exclaimed Maeva, lowering the blankets from their companion's face. "Midna, how do you feel?"

Involuntarily, Midna cringed in pain and coughed. Maeva rubbed her arm. "Cold…is Zelda…?"

"We're going to her now. It's going to be all right," Maeva insisted. Nodding weakly several times, Midna drifted off again.

Only Link could weave worry and determination into his smile and still hold her confidence. Lighting his lantern, he stood by the tunnel. "Let's go."

Bats littered the way until it opened into a large, dimly lit area with walls of castle stone, and then there were spiders. Big ones resembling the kind in the Forest Temple, and as Link sliced one open with his sword Maeva remembered the monkey who gave her the flower. That girl had accepted her, paying no heed to her markings. Then again, humans probably didn't often enter her home.

When Link finished beheading the accompanying spider, he turned and saw Maeva look up from her pouch in dismay. "What's wrong?"

"The flower," she said, lifting a withered white one for him to see. "That monkey from the Forest temple gave it to me. It's been alive since then, by way of what must have been a miracle. Until now."

"Oh," Link almost mumbled. Clearly, he said, "Well… If you want, I can pick you another one when the princess heals Midna."

"No thank you," replied Maeva, and it was quite a thought, anyway. Didn't men only give flowers to women they loved? Ilia flashed across her mind. "This was special. It was my reward for saving her."

"Maeva…" Link opened his mouth, looking as though he had something meaningful to say.

She put the flower back in her pouch anyway. "What is it?"

"…Nothing," he answered, and motioned forward. "Let's keep moving."

They were certainly under the castle, with monsters in the form of bulblins and shadows skulking about, waiting to be vanquished. Link performed that task easily while Maeva kept Midna secure. The question now was _where _exactly they were. She remembered overhearing Link tell their companions the story of how Midna found him in the dungeons, once, when she still found his amiability infuriating.

He professed never having been navigated by Midna to this area underground, however, and was as lost as she, who never explored the castle. Maeva wondered if Zant had known of her presence, then. It was disheartening, but she steeled herself with a glance at Midna, whose body was becoming a ghostly white, shivers now more frequent.

There were doors as high as the ceiling, but they were all blocked by collapsed pillars. Link and Maeva found open ways just a little higher than them, but those seemed to grow smaller as they went. Soon there was only a crawlway so small that Midna's basket wouldn't fit. Maeva took the imp into her arms instead and crouched down.

"Maybe I should go first," said Link. "I have the lantern."

"And I can see in the dark," said Maeva. Did he not see her eyes? "Twili, remember? Follow me."

"Right. That's why you could see in Lakebed Temple."

"Right," she muttered, entering the crawlway, Midna cradled in her left elbow. Link Pocketed the lantern and followed. Far ahead, he could see the faint gray glow of Midna's body and followed it, taking his time and making sure not to get kicked in the face.

Maeva wasn't certain how long they had been elbowing themselves forward. Her left arm ached, her right shoulder stung, and her elbows ground into the tiny bits of rock and soil scattered around the small tunnel. She felt grubby. Only the thought of Princess Zelda healing Midna kept her from lying down on that spot and telling Link they would have to rest first. And she heard running water somewhere.

Her legs were beginning to go numb when she stretched her arms out of the tunnel and felt the cold breeze blow at her face. She must have been elsewhere, because she was so startled by it that she let out a sound and kicked backward. Moving to avoid it, Link grabbed Maeva by the ankle. Maeva turned her head as far as she could, about to mutter an apology, when a thought crossed her mind.

"Link, no! The stone!"

It was too late when the water all around them carried her voice far away. Link grunted painfully, gave an abrupt yell, and then whimpered in the manner of a wolf. The bandages on Maeva's ankle loosened, the weight beneath them disappearing.

"No…" Maeva allowed herself to fall from a height the length of her hips downward, but she ignored the aching in her bones and protected Midna's head. Link fell down with her, his clothes and Pocket a heap over his small canine body. Shaking out of them, his blue eyes looked down first at his paws – and then he let out a breath. It was a familiar sound, the same one he gave when they first met. She knew now it was a sigh.

"This is terrible. Why did you touch the stone?"

Wolf-Link stared at her in confusion.

"All right," she admitted. "Perhaps this was my fault. But I told you, didn't I? I told you not to touch my ankle! It was where I kept the _stone_. I was certain no one would think to touch there. Of all the places…" Maeva rubbed a free hand over her face. When she opened her eyes again and Link was still staring, it was she who sighed. "You may not remember, but Zant was trying to damage you with it.

"The stone is a blunt concentration of his power. I managed to keep it away from you until Lanayru took us away…I kept it within me, so neither you nor Gale, Ooccoo, or Junior could touch it. But Zant's will, his anger, it fuels his power. It fuels the stone, and it latches onto you like…" Maeva shook her head, trying not to go off-tangent.

"I willed it away from me, but I know one of you looks into my pouch occasionally and I couldn't have you turning into a wolf or a spirit, so I kept it wrapped near my ankle…" Maeva wanted to groan. On one side, Link hardly looked guilty, so it must have been one of the other three who rummaged through her things.

Maeva groaned anyway. Link had still become a _wolf_. Again. And there wasn't even a Twilight of which to rid him, this time. She wondered if the light spirits could deal with such a powerful artifact of Zant's direct creation. "You shouldn't have touched it. But – can you feel the Twilight inside of you?"

Link nodded.

"Can you try to – try to push it out? Feel where it is in your being, and…collect those pieces, and push it out. Just – push it out!"

Maeva couldn't say Link wasn't trying. His body shook with concentration, wolf-eyes squeezed shut, ears lowered and tail pointed straight down, but nothing happened. When he could take no more of it, Link sighed and shook his head.

"Maybe…" Maeva gnawed on her lower lip. "Maybe Zelda will know a way."

Midna stirred. "What's…?"

"Nothing," Maeva said, patting the imp's cheek, and collected Link's clothes and boots into his Pocket before taking out the lantern. Lighting it, she handed it to the wolf resignedly. "How about this place? Did you ever come here?"

Link looked around. They were on dry land now, but before them were connecting hallways filled with water, circular pipes pumping out more and floodgates at some ends. He had been to the sewerage, swum in the dirty water and gotten rid of those pesky vermin that wanted a bite out of him, for some reason, but his mind had been completely muddled at the time. It was Midna who had known the way.

"That would be a no," Maeva muttered to herself, and stepped into the water. She reared back when she realized what she was doing, then put on the Zora helm, at the very least, for good measure. "Well, we know we're going up."

_Up_ was a vague direction. Maeva felt as though they went around in circles, and sometimes she wanted to ask Link why he didn't remember the way from before. She bit her tongue, however, when she remembered that he could tell her she lived in the castle for months and hadn't bothered stepping out and exploring once – even if he couldn't really say that _now_. Come to think of it, Link had had many chances to retort to silly things she'd yelled at him for in the past. Was he really so tolerant? Now she was…guilty.

Eventually, Link sniffed out a path. He didn't know whose scent it was, but it was innately familiar, like something inside him _knew_ it was Zelda's. It reminded him of when he saw that symbol on Zant's cloak and he _knew_ it…he just didn't know it. He wanted to tell Maeva, or try, but right now she was only concerned with their friend in her arms.

His and the others, at least. Maeva had always acted like a subordinate to Midna, something he thought only a dynamic to their friendship, but there was something else. Something in the way Zant had referred to himself and Midna as though they were of a higher caliber than her.

He was right. They found a flight of broken circular stairs, where Maeva loudly discovered, to her delight, that she could jump more easily with less effort than before. Link wondered what she meant by that – another question added to the list. Bulblins guarded the entrance, but they were easily disposed of. Maeva found it interesting that Link was so comfortable mauling them in that form.

If they reached the princess's room through a hole in the wall before, he actually found the door this time. When they finally stood before it, Maeva and Link exchanged anxious glances, then entered. It was as dark as it always was when Maeva spent time with the Hyrulian princess.

"Zelda?"

Maeva's voice was small, even in the silence of the room. With the princess she had always felt like a young girl opening her eyes to the world for the first time. Her very presence comforted Maeva – she was like an older sister, even an aunt, someone to trust unconditionally – and that she should not be in her room brought a pounding fear to her heart.

"Maeva," came Zelda's reply. This princess would always be a paradox to her: tender with her words but at times possessing a hardened countenance, weak in her helpless condition and yet strong in all else, steadfast, and loving as a monarch ought to be but fearsome, too. What Maeva would never doubt was her wisdom; in that she would never falter. If anyone could save Midna, (if not Link,) it was this princess.

"Zelda," Maeva whispered as the princess emerged from the shadow next to her bed. She fell to one knee. It had never been a requirement, but for this occasion she felt that their difference in rank called for such a formality. Lowering the blanket, she presented Midna. "Please, heal my... Zant, he – exposed her to holy light. This is…"

Midna stirred at the mention of the only man Link hated and shook her head. "Please…" she murmured, then grunted as she forced herself to speak. "Please tell me…how do we break…the curse on them? Link…Link is the one – you need – to save your world!"

Maeva's face fell, but she kept her lips sealed when Zelda, eyebrows furrowed, cast her eyes on the wolf. The princess shook her head. "What binds him is a different magic than what first transformed him when he first passed the curtain of twilight…"

"It's Zant," explained Maeva. "His power was condensed in a single object. It was—"

"M-Maeva…" Midna's jaw shook from attempting to contain her shivers. "You can…help Link…more – more…than – anyone…"

"Don't, Midna," sobbed Maeva. It was difficult to admit earlier, but their link was weakening at a rapidly increasing rate. She didn't bother to curb her tears. Link could only nudge his head against her shoulder, giving a slight whimper. "You can't die before him! I forbid you!"

Midna gave only the semblance of a smirk. Her eyes dimmed, but she fought to keep them on Zelda. "Can you…tell them…where to find – the Mirror? Of Twilight?"

Maeva's eyes were glued to Midna, but she felt Zelda lower to her knees before them. The princess lay her hand on the imp's exposed shoulder. "Midna," she said, "I believe…I understand now just who and what you are, and why Maeva loves you so. Despite your mortal injuries, you act in our stead. These dark times are the result of our deeds, yet it is you who have reaped the penalty.

"Like you, Link…" she said, raising the back of her palm to him; it was that symbol Maeva had seen everywhere, even as an accessory on the chest of the old man at Telma's bar. The outer triangles were a dark brown, making it appear like a natural birthmark. "I have been granted special powers by the goddesses." Taking one of Midna's hands in both of hers, she bowed. "Accept this now, Midna. I pass it to you."

A bright light shone from Zelda's hand and surrounded Midna. It was almost golden, but Maeva had grown accustomed to marveling at such a shimmer around the light spirits. What made her wonder was the air that pervaded the room upon the use of Zelda's power. Ancient and yet puissant, she had only ever felt such a thing around – Zant's god, though his was fearsomely potent. Zelda's felt almost withdrawn in that she could feel it fully, but it seemed to pose no threat.

Maeva didn't realize that her charge was already shimmering in the air, floating away from her arms, until with all her energy returning like a bucket of water thrown over her head, Midna screamed, "_No_! Stop her, Maeva! Link!"

The princess was losing—opacity? Maeva reached out for her with a gasp. Link barked as her hands phased through a translucent shoulder, but Zelda only smiled, in the loving, wistful way she did.

In any case, Maeva didn't want to stop her. The full green was returning to Midna's skin, her markings retaking their glow. Her hair flowed freely with a fire that rivaled her true spirit. She could only say, "Thank you."

Zelda nodded. "Go," she mouthed, then the rest of her iridescent figure diffused into the darkness of the room.

"Thank you," Midna echoed after her, and had barely set her feet down when Maeva pummeled her and caught her in a tight embrace. Her wide grin fell only when she released the imp.

"Midna," she started, looking down. "I know what I said in Lakebed Temple, but…I can't stay here now."

Midna glanced around, too, before meeting her eyes with a small smile. "If Link doesn't have a problem with you coming along…I don't either."

Link blinked, having been engrossed in their exchange. So many questions. Nevertheless, he inclined his head. Maeva beamed before a black thing appeared between them: Midna's Fused Shadow piece. "I kept it for you. Although…we must now find a new way to defeat Zant." Then, sighing again, she turned to their canine companion. "I'm sorry you're stuck in that form.

"If Zelda with her ancient power couldn't help you…" Maeva clicked her tongue. "Then neither can Lanayru or any of the light spirits. I've little knowledge of your light realm lore save for the one Hero, but maybe…Telma knows something."

Midna returned to her seat on Link's back. To his surprise, she didn't bop his head with her fist. He wasn't certain if it was because she was actually floating or because she spoke with none of the contempt she once carried, but Maeva was only perched lightly. Her voice was calm when she repeated, "Telma? You don't even like her."

"Maybe, but it was thanks to her that we were able to bring you to Zelda." Maeva paused respectfully for the princess. "I can think of a reason for Link's 'disappearance.' But if Telma might know of anything that might banish the evil that has overcome him…then I will ask her."

Maeva caught Link staring at her through her peripherals and knew he was thinking about her eyes, if she could think of a reason for _them_. Midna only watched her. "Are you sure?"

"It is the only way," she affirmed, encouraged by Midna's new, pleasant demeanor. "And…I can't hide it forever, can I?"

"Right. This power Zelda imbued in me – it's given me more strength. I can appear in this realm without pain!" With a wave of her arm, a portal appeared on the floor. "Why she never used it is beyond my understanding. That princess…"

"Had her reasons. Maybe they all do," suggested Maeva. Midna shrugged her assent before patting gently between Link's ears. With a step forward, they disappeared from the castle.

The portal led them to one right outside the castle town. Link and Midna had encountered shadow beasts guarding one during their short trip to Hyrule proper to collect the light insect the latter had seen near Telma's bar, and now served their purposes. When the portal pieced them back together, Maeva yelped and pulled up her hood. The rain persisted, but she only shrugged at it. There was little time to give the dark clouds meaning when it was up to her to find a way to save Link.

With renewed hope, Maeva maneuvered through the castle town, Link drenched as he trotted by her side, Midna hidden in his shadow. People screamed at the initial sight of him, but their fears were abated when they saw her cloaked figure walking closely with him. They were so glad to see him 'tamed' that they barely gave her identity a second thought.

As they passed the town, a familiar orange passed Maeva's peripherals. Stifling her gasp with a hand over her mouth, she saw that Hyrule castle was encased in Zant's twilight. "When…did that happen?"

Link wanted to say that Zant must have exerted more effort on where the princess resided just in case they came along, but as it was he could only raise his eyes to her and shake his head, then lower them quickly when the raindrops blurred his vision. He wasn't sure if she thought the same; she seemed only to steel herself and move forward.

When they reached the roof under the bar, Midna asked, "Do you know what you're going to tell that woman?"

Removing her cloak, Maeva nodded, clenched her right fist, and knocked thrice.

"We're closed! Just for today," came Telma's reply.

"Telma, it's me," repeated Maeva.

The door opened slowly this time, but Telma's smile remained as bright. "Maeva, honey. I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"Thank you, Telma." Maeva stepped into the bar. She wasn't certain what time of the day it was anymore, mid-afternoon, probably, but Telma's four friends were still in their positions. The girl had taken a seat, too. Link sauntered inside and shook his wet fur beside them, eliciting groans from the two youths his age, before returning to her side like a faithful hound.

Maeva's nerves were almost assuaged. She reminded herself that she was…brave…for standing before them like this, and tried to ignore the examining glances of Telma's friends.

For her part, Telma did her best not to stare, but it was only natural for her to ask. "Care to explain what's happening?"

Maeva took a deep breath. "Link and I met Zant on our way here, from Lake Hylia. This," she motioned to her face, "was his doing."

Telma reached for her shoulder. "Honey…"

"No way," the girl across the room gaped. "You met Zant?"

"What was he like?" asked the young man, leaning over his seat.

"Isn't it enough that you look upon me, see what he has wrought?" Maeva demanded with a frown, but she was guilty at her own words. What he had wrought was only her true unveiling, after all. In a way, she had done it to herself. But they didn't stand a chance against Zant, so why bother asking? It irritated her that they thought they could change a thing.

He inclined his head. "…Where is Link?" he asked after a stretch. "I – I'm Shad, by the way – I wanted to apologize. For the ribbing I gave him this morning. Telma told us all you've been up to – you're rather formidable! We had no idea you were the friends who helped her cross the gorge."

"Ashei," the girl introduced herself. "Sorry I was nasty the other day, too. You're both different than I thought you'd be. This is Auru, and that's—"

"Please save your apologies for Link," Maeva interrupted. She appreciated that they took the effort to do so, but it was enough that they apologized at all. And while she didn't mind the thought of delivering messages to Link, she needed to ask Telma so they could leave already. "He left town not long after we parted from you."

That explained Link's disappearance for them, but they were still bug-eyed at the wolf beside her. He was difficult to ignore, she supposed, especially since he'd sprinkled them all with rainwater. The helmeted man seemed to stiffen at the sight of him, especially.

"This wolf is Link's familiar, whom he saved during one of the…attacks," she explained. "He appears every now and then to join us, though he seemed to have elected to stay with me while Link has gone to find some sort of…cure. For evil."

Shad appeared to ease up. "Cure for evil? That sounds rather…"

"There's no other way to put it," Maeva snapped. She couldn't exactly think of a better description. "An acquaintance of ours has been tainted by Zant's evil – the kind that transforms from within – and we must purify him. I came only to ask if you knew anything, Telma. I'd hate for Link to be out searching blindly."

Moving about the bar almost uneasily, Telma gave a long 'hmm.' "Auru," she said, pouring him a drink, "any ideas?"

The old man nodded. "There is a sword of legend used by the Hero of lore. They call it the blade of evil's bane, the Master Sword, able to vanquish even the most terrible of sorcerers."

Maeva nodded her head vigorously. "That's exactly what we need. Where can it be found?"

Shad snorted, then tried to take it back by replacing it with a tiny smirk. "If we knew that, it would hardly be a legend, now, would it?"

Clearly, he still thought Link was some sort of costumer. With all his deeds, Link was unmistakably the hero chosen by the goddesses! Shad seemed like a smart young man; he should have been able to connect the blade with him, but perhaps she'd thought too highly of his knowledge of lore. "You have no idea what you're talking about," she muttered, but said out loud, "We need information. Not your ridicule."

Maeva almost grinned when Link accentuated this with a snarl.

"Whoa, there," said Ashei, standing up to block Shad, even though Link hadn't really moved from his spot beside Maeva. "It's said the sword is in the Faron province, deep in the woods in some sacred grove, yeah? But that's obviously just legend."

"Obviously." Maeva slipped into her cloak. "I should go. Thank you all for the help."

"So – what are you going to do about your friend?" Ashei called after her.

"We'll handle it," she shrugged and moved, about to make a fine exit, in her opinion, when she opened her mouth. It always started with that, she thought to herself glumly. "Come now, Link."

"The wolf's name is Link?" asked Telma, freezing her in her tracks.

Squeezing her eyes shut and berating herself for her carelessness, Maeva answered without facing them. "…Yes. He followed Link around so much that we decided to name the wolf after him. He's intelligent and responds to it well enough." She tilted her head at him. "Aren't you?"

Link licked Maeva's knuckles, and she prayed they would believe it.

"Well, then, best regards to the true Link," said Shad.

"Indeed," Aura's voice boomed. "Apologies for our rudeness."

Maeva concealed her relief by taking a last glance of feigned scrutiny at them. In truth, she could still feel sharply the difference between her eyes and theirs. Still, she thought it enough for now to simply show them at all. "Link is a kind human. I'm certain he will forgive you."

At that, the helmeted man opened his mouth, finally, but caught Maeva's quick eyes and promptly closed it. When he continued in his silence, she inclined her head and left the bar.

It dawned on her that she always did so anxiously. Her head was throbbing when she came out of there, and Maeva allowed herself to crouch and finally sit beside Link. When her breathing was in order, she looked at him. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Link shook his head.

Maeva imitated the gesture absentmindedly. "Did you really mean to snarl at Shad?"

Link grinned in reply – though he looked that way normally, she supposed, when ever he bared his teeth – and licked her face. Maeva wrinkled her nose but did not protest noisily, wondering if he did that on purpose. Sparing a slight smile for his efforts, she rose. "To Faron woods, then."

"Right," said Midna, jumping out of Link's shadow and leaning against her shoulder. "For the blade of evil's bane!"

* * *

><p>As it turned out, Midna's power was still limited in her imp form. The only portals she could take them to were ones they had reformed from Zant's twilight. In any case, Gale, Ooccoo, and Junior were overjoyed to see Midna back in good form, though Link was a surprise for them, as they had never seen him as a wolf.<p>

Link clearly still possessed human thought, as he bared his teeth at the sight of them in the Inn and barked as if in amusement when they screamed and Gale tried to hurl him away with a terrible gust. It all ended in fits of laughter when Maeva moved to stand between them, attempting to tell the fairy it was only their companion, and the shape of her hair became reminiscent of their time in the Forest Temple. (Although, Maeva didn't laugh quite so much as she did scowl, especially at Epona, who gave a humorous whinny when he saw her next.)

Their party arrived at Ordon springs, but decided to regroup in Link's house upon Maeva's request. They had no idea what obstacles lay in the path to the blade, after all, and she wanted no repeats of what happened with Zant.

"I don't like this," muttered Gale. They sat around the dinner table, light beaming down from the open roof. Maeva sincerely hoped it wouldn't rain here. "I don't like this thing where we split up and you three do all the work. I didn't even like that you went to the castle without telling us."

"It was for the better," said Maeva. "We spared you from crawling through dirty passages."

"We're all going this time," Gale insisted.

Ooccoo bobbed her head in agreement. "We _are _on an adventure together, dear."

Maeva sighed. Did they really want to risk their lives? The Goron Mines and the Lakebed Temple hadn't been dangerous enough; this time, Zant had made known his intention to destroy them and could be hunting for them as they spoke. She could still grow stronger – couldn't they wait until then to come along? It couldn't be her way anymore; to allow friends to come to harm.

"Yeah," said Ooccoo Junior, perched on top of her head. "We should enjoy our time with each other while we can! Like you said, right Maeva? In an adventure?"

It only vaguely came to mind. They were in Hyrule Field then, yes – before King Bulblin came and threatened Kakariko Village. "Yes, but—"

"You're welcome to go," said Midna, patting Maeva's shoulder when the girl turned to her with a meaningful look. "Ooccoo and Gale make good distractions, and Junior's teleportation is always useful."

"Right!" Ooccoo beamed. "So you see, Maeva, it's hardly your choice."

"Yes, if we're going to be a team, we're going to have to make decisions together!" said Gale.

Maeva rolled her eyes. "I see I have no choice." But a smile tugged on her lips. A team – it had been a lifetime since she was part of one. And she liked them. Their dynamics reminded her of that in the Nine. There was the older group, Siv and Hepfi. That was Ooccoo and Midna now. The mid-group was always larger: Saemi, Hidram, Rabor, Midna, her lover. She should have been part of them, but she'd always fit in better with him and Midna and was the child in their group. So it was her, Rell, and Zelk in the youngest category. Now it was Ooccoo Junior, while she and Gale made up the mid-group. Gale's words at Lakebed spoke as if she were much, much older, but Maeva saw her as one who thought as one younger in years, like them.

She was still confused about Link. He was very childish at times – child_like _was the correct term, she supposed – but many times he commanded their party as though he were above their clearly older members.

"Any thoughts, Link?" asked Midna, peering down at the wolf from Midna's shoulder. She was teasing.

Link's front paws cradled the side of his head. If Maeva were asked to interpret, she would say he looked nearly depressed. In retrospect, they hadn't really minded him since they arrived at Ordon Springs and he showed them the spare key to his door. How _had _he climbed the house?

Ooccoo Junior only giggled. "Cheer up, Link! You'll be back in no time, just like Midna!"

Link bared his teeth briefly in a smile before padding off to the bathroom.

"He's grown accustomed to leading," said Midna, an understanding expression on her face. "Being reduced to one who can hardly communicate must be crippling to his confidence."

"I doubt it," Maeva remarked, but her eyes lingered on the bathroom door.

He came out again after a while, but the ladies and Ooccoo Junior had already branched into another topic of discussion. Link was pleasantly surprised to see Maeva chatting with them, no matter if it was only about the fashions of their homeland. Midna and Maeva offered nothing past a choice between wearing skin-tight clothing or loose harem pants, which the latter clearly preferred, but fairies apparently were very color-conscious and Link couldn't help but drift off in boredom.

"LIIIIIIIIIIINK!"

Maeva jumped. "Who's that? Fado?" She glanced immediately at Link, who padded up to her and shook his head vigorously.

"You'll have to acknowledge him or raise suspicion," said Midna, ushering their companions into silence.

Climbing the ladders of Link's house, Maeva peered down at Link's friend through the window beneath the roof. "Oh," she said loudly. "Hello, Fado."

Apparently, he couldn't see her eyes, because he gave only a wave and, after a silence that denoted surprise, replied loudly enough, "…Hi there. Maeva. Is – Is Link home?"

"No, he isn't."

"Then, uh…what are you doing at his place?" Fado scratched his head. "I saw that Epona was home an' all, so I thought…"

"Oh," she muttered, but still in a shout. "I brought back Epona. He and I parted ways a little while ago, so I came here to return her and wait for Link's return."

"Oh," said Fado. "Oh. Well. Did he say when he was comin' back?"

Maeva gave an exaggerated shrug, in case Fado couldn't see her. It was cloudy, but the sky was still bright and he squinted up at her with some difficulty. "Your guess is as good as mine, I'm afraid."

Fado frowned and was silent, like he was in deep thought. Maeva didn't perceive him as the kind to go through such a process, but she didn't mind as long as he stayed away. "Well, goodbye!" she said, waving, then jumped to the first level with a heavy sigh. "I'm glad that's over."

"Wait!"

"Doesn't sound like it," remarked Gale. The others turned their heads to the door, on which there was a heavy knocking.

"We should hide," suggested Ooccoo.

"To the window!" exclaimed Junior. When Midna nodded in agreement, they flew above. Link stayed behind one of his tables.

"Maeva?" Fado called out.

Reluctantly, she stood by the door. "Yes?"

"Uh…" The tension between them was thicker than the door. Maeva hated sharing common friends with people she hardly knew, or who seemed uncomfortable with her. Well, this was a first—but she disliked it already. "Can I come in?"

Maeva shook her head as though he could see it. "Um, no."

He sighed. "I guess I can understand that…but I – I want you to know, I thought about what Link said. So – so when he comes back, tell 'im to come over. Please. Tell him that…Maeva, I'm all right with you shacking up with my buddy. I mean, he's always been the smart one outta us two, but…he can't hide it from me. Just wish he was honest, y'know? But…sorry about what I said."

Maeva gave the door a confused look. "What are you talking about? I'm not living with Link. We're only traveling together. That is – we were."

A small chuckle. "Whatever you say. Listen, just take care of him, all right? You're—well, Link's girl is probably the luckiest little lady in the world, because he'll take care of you even better. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I'll come over again when he gets home…"

When she didn't reply, Fado thought glumly that she must be harder to please than he originally thought – until the door swung open, taking him by such surprise that he backed and fell off the ledge.

"I am _not_ Link's girl!" the girl gasped. "Oh – are you all right?"

Groaning, Fado looked nothing like 'all right.' Link's concern for strangers was rubbing off on Maeva. Still, he painfully held his bottom, wincing, saying, "No, really, you can tell me—whoa!"

His eyes had opened, looked up to Maeva standing by the ledge. She covered her own instinctively before groaning. Why did she always end up revealing herself? Although she might as well stop him from saying anything to the rest of the village. Leaping from the ledge, she landed before him in case he tried to run, even if she had a feeling he might be able to bundle past her given his size.

A heavy panting that almost resembled laughter emerged from the door. 'Get back inside,' mouthed Maeva, pointing firmly at the door, but Link only stared down at them.

Fado took no notice of him. "What happened to your face?" he asked, gaze lowering. "And fingers!"

Link found his way to Maeva's side and barked at his friend, who yelled even more in surprise.

"It's the wolf! You're friends with the wolf?" he cried.

"Stop!" she scolded him, at least in Fado's eyes. The wolf obeyed, but bared his teeth at her. Link was, of course, smiling. Maeva explained, "No, the wolf became a friend to Link when he saved him from...the man who kidnapped the children, and did this to me." The truth might have been too complicated for him; she couldn't be sure, and she wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible if she were being honest. "That man was the reason Link and I went our separate ways."

Fado gave a long "oh." Standing up and dusting himself off, he smiled down at her apologetically. She forgot that he could cast a shadow over her. "I'm sorry. I tend to overreact. Don't they hurt?"

If she was apprehensive towards anything, it was the clear concern in his tone. "What are you talking about?"

"Your eyes. And fingers."

Then again, he was supposed to be Link's best friend. Perhaps they shared the same virtue. "Not really. They're still—mine."

Fado shrugged. "If you say so."

Maeva narrowed her eyes at him. "I am not Link's girl. It cannot be gainsaid, Fado. We've only just become friends!"

"Then why did he defend you like that?"

"Defend me like what?"

"Well, I said that you were…" Fado paused. Link knew by the expression on his face that he knew he'd be incriminating himself if he spoke any more. Sometimes his friend actually thought before he spoke, and he was glad for those moments. "Uh, never mind. You're friends."

"Yes," said Maeva, almost gratefully. "I hope you can keep my arrival a secret. Hanch tends to overreact about me. Moreso with the wolf and my new markings."

Here, Fado let loose a burst of laughter. "Yeah, he freaks out a lot. He'd probably faint, you know."

"He might have when I first arrived," said Maeva, smiling a little. "Were he not so worried for his daughter."

"Yeah," Fado grinned, but it faded soon into a solemn look. "Maeva…were you guys close to finding Ilia?"

Maeva contemplated telling him. She finally remembered the wolf beside her and glanced at him for help, but he was far away. "No," she answered. "We were thrown off our trail when the man who did this to me attacked us, causing our separation. But once he returns here, we'll find her. We'll bring her back."

Fado sighed. He opened his mouth as if to speak, looking at Maeva determinedly, but his face fell and all he said was, "All right. You take care now."

"Same to you, Fado," said Maeva, blinking when he thumped her on the back with a strong hand. She took no offense. When he and Link exchanged such gestures, she knew it was a display of friendship, but it shocked her that he believed them familiar enough to do such a thing to her. It was nice.

As soon as Fado disappeared down the hill for the village, Maeva discovered that it was easier to face Link in his wolf form. Easier to forget why she felt worse in his presence. "What did you say to Fado to make him think we…?" Maeva's face warmed, and was thankful when when the Ooccoo Junior and the others appeared with a _pop_. "Never mind."

"What did he want?" asked Midna, sitting on Maeva's head. "I heard him scream."

"Humans are awfully jumpier than before," Ooccoo remarked. "Don't you think so?"

"I have no basis for comparison, but yes, they do tend to scream at the sight of me. For their own reasons – which I can handle," Maeva said, more to Midna than anyone else. The imp nodded in acknowledgment, granting her a small smile. It was more than they had shared since Zant's betrayal. "In any case, we've rested enough. To Faron Woods, shall we?"

Midna's portal brought them to the the edge of Faron Woods. She tried finding a way through to the Forest Temple itself, but her newfound power had its limits. Midna sensed that she could only pull them to areas they had fought shadow beasts in the past, where they had converted Zant's red portals to green.

They arrived at the clearing near Trill's shop, where Midna had sent Maeva in search of the missing bridge before. Maeva dreaded seeing the blue bird, not for his voice since she had seen that in their last meeting he, too, had his troubles as they all did, small it might be compared to theirs. She simply groaned at the thought of having to explain _why_ her fingers looked like they had been dipped in permanent green ink or why a strip of the same color ran from one tip of her ear to the other like a band, or, her favorite: why her eyes were now a crimson red.

Well, that was an overreaction. He shrieked before he even saw her.

That was incorrect. It sounded as if the screaming had filled the forest even before their arrival. The clip-clop of horses, too. Without exchanging unnecessary glances, their party of five rushed past Trill's empty shop until they reached the source of the din: a figure as tall as a human woman crying out merged with a chittering gray monkey and the loudest blue bird. Its fleshy pink arms batted away at monsters with spherical heads and faces painted into perpetual smiles. They wore tattered capes and arms and legs that clattered against each other like horse hooves in their helpless dangling – like puppets.

Link and Maeva were the quickest to action, the wolf mauling their arms from their bodies – wooden, really wooden – and the girl knocking their heads off with her staff. They were unlike any creature she had seen before. Even the shadow beasts, their people forced to kill against their own will, moved their muscles like other beings, but these flailed around almost humorously. Maeva doubted they were alive at all.

But the creatures didn't die; they simply put themselves back together and vaulted into the trees above, willfully disappearing.

"Gracious, what were those?" asked Ooccoo.

"They looked like toys, mama," said Ooccoo Junior, settling on Maeva's head. "Oh, hi, monkey!"

Maeva no longer tried to shake the cheering female monkey that was using her back as a perch again, picking up Junior and putting him on her head so that she would be free to pick through Maeva's hair. The girl wondered what she was doing, if this was a sort of hello for the monkey, when she remembered.

"I'm sorry," said Maeva, turning to her side to face the monkey, who stared at her in confusion. She still smelled like a forest animal, but it was a stench Maeva welcomed from her. "The flower wilted."

The monkey chittered quietly before leaping off into the trees, a curious Junior still on her head. Maeva thought to call to her, wondering if she had hurt the girl's feelings, but her disappearance allowed her to turn to the rest of the puppet victims. It hadn't been a creature; it was the monkey, Trill, and Uli cornered together by the gangly monsters.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" Trill chirped on Link's head. Midna was in Ooccoo's shadow. "I was so worried for the girls! How nice to see you again!"

While Oocooo – who hadn't noticed her son running off with a monkey – exchanged pleasantries with her fellow winged-creature, Maeva turned to Uli, who stared at the lot of them with a polite smile until she made eye contact with Maeva and realized, upon closer inspection, that she was not at all wearing a band over her red eyes.

"Th-Thank you. Maeva," she said. Mayor Bo had informed her of Link's nonhuman friends, but nothing about Maeva. "Are you… all right? What happened to you?"

The genuine concern in her eyes almost spooked Maeva. But she supposed that Uli would be kinder, being rounder; being a mother. She understood now why Colin was so brave. Maeva had no opinion on the father, Rusl, hardly knowing him, but watching Uli's reaction was heartwarming. Her heart was Colin's. Here was a human aware of the terrible things befalling her realm and yet she welcomed a girl whose appearance was joined with the loss of a sword and shield in the village; the quick departure of a beloved husband. Perhaps in her indulgence of self-pity she had given their race too little credit for their own kindness.

Even though, thought Maeva, the already perfunctory story about the man who took the children and gave her the 'scars' and the 'paint' spouting from her mouth, she had only ever told them lies.

"… May I?" said Uli, eyes brimming with tears. Maeva allowed the woman to touch her true skin. Her way was not of fear, as in the humans she had met previously, or as Telma's friends and their morbid interest, but – it was Zelda's way. Compassion. "You are very brave, Maeva."

"Not at all," was her automatic response. There was truth in that, at least. Still the kindness from someone other than the princess and the hero made her uncomfortable and she added, "You must be wondering about the wolf. Link saved him and it has followed us infrequently ever since. It, too, was attacked by the beasts."

"Oh," remarked Uli, tilting her head curiously at Link. She did a double-take.

Maeva saw nothing of interest. Except that the wolf was a human in truth, of course. "What is it?"

"N—othing," answered Uli, hand on her stomach. "I thought for a moment that he…that it…nothing. It must be the shock toying with my mind."

"All right," Maeva immediately agreed to dismiss whatever it was she noticed, hoping the woman was not as perceptive as Princess Zelda.

Uli sighed. "I didn't know the Faron Woods had become so dangerous. Rusl used to take me out here for walks."

"Really?" Maeva could not imagine the forest as anything but goblin-infested, but then she had come here in dark times.

Uli nodded. "Maybe I shouldn't have gone without my husband. He's been so busy at the castle town…"

Maeva wanted to know what he was doing there and why they hadn't seen him in their time at Hyrule, but there were pressing matters at hand, like how she was beginning to suspect that the twitching she saw from the corner of her eye was a certain wolf cringing at their blue friend's wonderful voice. Small, kindly doses; that was Trill.

"I am certain your husband will return soon," she said, earnestly. With a child coming soon, how ever could Rusl stay away? She remembered when Siv and Hepfi could hardly leave each other alone in their desire for a child. Now Maeva was happy they had never conceived, or it would have opened its eyes to a crumbling world. One Link would save with her, but then who would care for it?

"I should return home, too," Uli thought aloud. "Won't you come, and your friends, too?"

Maeva was thankful she had the grace not to ask for their purpose there. "No, we have business here."

"All right, then," smiled Uli. "Rusl has heard from the children, by the way. Malo had a letter sent—they told him about the kindness you and your friends accorded them, even if only Link had truly any reason to save them. I must thank you."

"It's nothing, really," replied Maeva. Now that was a lie – it meant everything to her to receive gratitude. But it was embarrassing to show desire for it, she saw now. How naïve and petty Link must have thought her for it before. "Please have a safe journey home."

"I'll accompany you!" said Trill, flying over to Uli's shoulder. Link's squinted wolf eyes returned to their normal size, his general posture relaxing until the chirping monkey swang in from the trees with Junior.

"Look what we got, mama!" giggled the oocca.

The monkey landed before Link, fixing a green flower onto his ear. Maeva received another white flower. Then the monkey picked through her hair, nearly tugging at the strands. When Maeva protested noisily, the female grabbed her by the face instead and rubbed her thumbs on Maeva's cheeks, right below her true skin.

"What are you doing?" gasped Maeva, attempting to grab the hands of the monkey, who seemed to have understood that this was not to be done. Chirping in disappointment, the the female pat Maeva fondly on the head before leaping off and climbing Uli's back, slipping a pink flower that matched hers into her hair. She waved goodbye to their party with Uli and Trill before slipping back into the shadow of the forest.

"That was odd," Maeva shook her head. "She didn't try that the last time."

"I think she likes you," said Ooccoo Junior.

Link's gaze stretched after the woman who had been a parental figure to him after his mother's passing. Gale caught it easily. "You want to follow them, don't you?"

"I think the monkey can handle it," said Midna, truthfully, as she reappeared. It was the monkey's wild smacking that had deterred the puppets from harming Uli earlier, from what she had seen. "She seemed less mad than the others the last time we were here."

Link nodded in acquiescence. Maeva craned her neck to stare up at the trees warily, still wondering what those puppets had been, but when they didn't descend arms-a-flailing, she went to stand before the natural bridge to the Forest Temple instead.

"Where would a sacred grove lie here?" she asked, looking over the chasm below. Not there, she hoped. Peculiar that there might be a forest below Faron Woods covered in mist; or perhaps it was already the end of this realm. "Do you think we missed something in the Forest Temple?"

Link shook his head vigorously, padding over to a tree stump right over the chasm, and jumped up and down. Every so often he jerked his head in the direction of the chasm.

Midna exchanged a look with Maeva. "Don't tell me…"

"He may be trying to tell us something," nodded Maeva.

Midna sat on Maeva's shoulder, leaning an elbow on her head. "I'm not partaking of this again."

"I love this game!" Gale tittered. "Is it… high in the trees above us? The sacred grove?"

"Or," Ooccoo suggested, "it's down below the mist over there! Yes?"

"We need to find a better way of communicating," muttered Midna. Maeva could only laugh in agreement at Link's deadpan reaction.

Ooccoo Junior floated over the mist and exclaimed, "I know, I know!"

Next to the natural bridge to Forest Temple were a set of tree stumps almost out of sight because of the forest's shadow. He flew past all of them until he disappeared into the mountain face far ahead of them. "There's something there!" he said when he returned, wings flapping furiously in excitement. Link barked appreciatively. "We can move by tree stump!"

"Lead the way, Junior," said Midna, and the four women and Link rounded together for his convenience. The mountain face had a wide tunnel leading to a sunlit area briefly free of trees, and few obstacles like spinning bridges from the Forest Temple and great swinging tree trunks that might knock them off narrow paths, but Gale and Ooccoo easily transported them past those. The party soon found themselves wandering into a forest again.

The grove was almost entirely covered in trees, so much so that they had almost missed the entrance if not for Midna's easy perception of an odd light coming in from one section of the forest. The place seemed walled with trees and leaves, thick enough to block out the sun entirely, but instead of darkness, the grove was illuminated in a bluish-green glow, giving it an unearthly beauty.

Maeva felt cut off from the outside world as soon as they brushed past the curtain of leaves into it, not only because of the light but the jarring distortion of sound. Chirping birds sounded miles away, as though the treetops themselves were the heavens, and leaves rustled distantly; there was no wind around them, only a perpetual calm. Running water seemed a little closer, and it helped that the relaxing smell of it surrounded them, but from where they stood she could see nothing. Only trees and a small slab of white rock.

It looked a lot like the one that brought Link to that holy cliff where she cried, once, and Link howled and sang with his golden brother. "Is this the one that takes you far away?" she asked him.

Link stared at it curiously and shook his head _no_. Upon closer inspection, Maeva noticed the triangles within the triangle, that constant in Hyrule town, engraved on the slab.

"This really must be a holy place," said Gale when she saw Maeva peering at it, "if the symbol of the Triforce is here."

"Is that its name?" asked Maeva.

"Yes," replied Gale. "It's a long story, but the Triforce was created by the goddesses to protect their creations. It's said that when one who possesses great wisdom, courage, and power in equal parts takes the Triforce, they can have anything they desire. In a time long past, an evil sorcerer attempted to take it, but he was a man of greed and only the Triforce of Power answered to his call.

"The Triforce of Wisdom and Courage went to two others, seeking to remedy the situation. You see, its parts, when separated, only go to those who most embody the quality. The sorcerer desired power most of all the creatures in the realm, so his was Power. The legendary Hero of Time who defeated him carried Courage. I think Link has it, too."

Maeva recalled their last visit to Hyrule Castle. "Then Zelda must have had Wisdom. She did say that she was granted special powers by the goddesses – and she bore the Triforce on the back of her palm!" she turned to Midna. "It means she used her power to revive you."

Midna bowed her head in memory of the Hyrulian princess. "If that's true, then Zelda honored me more than any of us knew."

Before anyone else could provide input, Link tilted his head back and howled. He didn't know why himself, other than that he _knew_ what to do. It was one of those things again. If Gale was right, then it wasn't him who _knew_ it at all. It was that Triforce – he had always wondered what that shape was at the back of his left hand – and that meant… did that mean the Hero of Time was with him? Was it why Zelda felt like a long-lost sister?

The party heard a rumbling in the distance. Still it felt like a part of the grove, like notes that added mystery to a harmony. They saw soon enough that a path had cleared where a great wall of trees once stood like bars unmoving. In the way was a small thing that couldn't be taller than Malo, wearing a pointy hat and shoes and colorful, tattered pieces of cloth, a horn raised to his mouth.

"Look mama!" said Junior.

"What is a child doing here?" Midna frowned.

"Young man," Ooccoo called cautiously, but as soon as she fluttered near him, the child blew the horn, disturbing the peace of the grove so that it seemed like the trees reacted in anger, refusing to let the sound pass them and therefore echoing it like a chaotic summons.

It was. The boy was the master of the tree-puppets that flailed their rickety arms at them.

"What in the world!" cried Ooccoo. Maeva knocked off the head of two with her fists by instinct – she had already been hit twice in the shoulder – and reached for her staff, but Link had already taken them apart.

"Wait, Junior!" yelled Gale, spinning after him. In the chaos, the young ooccoo had chosen to chase the child. With Midna yelling orders on his back, Link took no time to rest, bounding after them. She was the only clear sound in the grove.

"Hold on," said Maeva, planting Ooccoo firmly on her head, and headed for the sound of Link's constant barking through the twisting trees that seemed to trap them. Even then she wondered why there were only structures in the twilight realm, no burning mountains or forests or freezing lakes. That was easily answered, of course – why would the light spirits trap them in a world as glorious as this as punishment? If only her parents could catch a glimpse of even just Ordon, the most homely village in the realm. And the Nine. Saemi was the great romantic and would have loved it.

Suddenly Ooccoo's claws were ripped from her scalp. Maeva yelled in unison with the woman, taking her staff, and hurled it through the puppet that managed to sneak up on them. Sheathing her weapon, she took Ooccoo into her arms. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, dear," said Ooccoo, touching her head with her wing. "We oocca have thick skulls, you know, nothing to be worried about. Thank you."

"It's nothing. Let's find the others," said Maeva. It was hardly a task, completed as soon as they found a portion of the woods with a small pond. Link leapt into it, paddling under a tunnel, and Maeva put on the Zora helm in pursuit.

They came out into a waterfall climbing to a sunnier area of the grove, Link, Gale, and Midna paused next to them. Ahead was a wall of concrete out of place. Ooccoo Junior blinked in and out of sight as he followed the child around the highs and lows of the area until finally the concrete was revealed as an illusion and dissipated into the air.

Down below the wall were ruins of an old structure covered in dirt and carpeted by leaves. The child waited for them there on the stump of an old pillar, blowing that noisy horn. Ooccoo Junior spun round, bringing them to the child's level. Puppets fell around them.

"Where are we going?" asked Junior, coming close to the child's face, completely unaware that his friends and mother were the only reason he wasn't rammed into a tree. He cried out when the child blew the horn in his face – not out of spite but because his latest puppets had been destroyed by the rest of the party again.

"That hurt!" Junior yelled. "Stop it!" With a deciding ram, he knocked the child off the stump. The child looked at him curiously, then heartily laughed. Another wall behind him cleared. Rolling into the leaves with the same grin on his face, he faded from few.

Link was certain he heard somebody say, _it's nice to see you again_.

"Hey! Where did you go, Skull Kid?" Junior called out. There was no reply.

"Skull Kid?" asked Maeva, coming up beside their party's youngest member.

"He said that was what they called him. Didn't you hear him, Maeva?"

"I didn't," said Gale. "That was bizarre. And we know bizarre, I think."

The rest murmured in agreement while Junior sighed. The cleared path led out of the stillness of the grove into a sunlit ruin. Maeva supposed it was of Hylian make, but what did she know of architecture? Only two great statues were left of whatever civilization might have lain here once. They were tall, broad shouldered and big-bodied, resembling no familiar creature but themselves.

A temple behind them with the Triforce stamped on the center appeared untouched by time as well, but from whence they approached, Maeva could see no entrances. Where she might have expected a door under an archway, there waited only a wall.

Maeva didn't realize they had stepped on the symbol until she could no longer feel Ooccoo's claws on her hair, or the flapping of Junior's little wings. The earth rumbled, knocking Maeva to her knees. Before her, the path to the statues had broken off from the earth into blocks hovering over a black chasm beneath her whose depths she couldn't see. To her right, Link struggled to rise.

Just as they both stood, wolf and girl exchanging confused glances, an unseen force hauled Maeva back and forth like claws around her right shoulder, tearing her apart, until she fell back on her posterior and the shocked exclamations of the others surrounded her. Her arm was so painful that her vision drowned in white sparks.

It had felt like slamming into ice and rising out of a pool of magma instead. "What was that?" she groaned, curling into herself. She thought she might be foolishly crying again, but it was only cold sweat and the heat bearing down on them.

"You tell me," said Midna, turning her over gently. At the imp's touch, the pain seemed to dissipate. "You disappeared with Link. Did you go to that snowy training ground? Are you all right?"

"It wasn't—" Maeva turned around, looking for Link, but Midna held her back by the ankle.

"Don't go near there," Midna warned. It was an impermeable wall of some unknown substance, and she, Oocoo, Junior and Gale had been attempting to cross it for the past minutes with little variation in results. "You'll only get pushed back. What happened?"

"We have to go back for Link," Maeva insistently shook her head. "There were blocks over the darkness and the statues stomped their spears. It didn't make sense…"

"You don't make sense," sighed Gale. "Sit down."

"What about Link?"

"It's understandable to worry about him, dear, but he is a chosen Hero," offered Ooccoo. "If he had failed, we would know by now."

"I'm not worried," muttered Maeva. "I trust him. I was just wondering."

"Okay," accepted Gale, though none of them quite believed her. "Now tell us what happened."

Maeva wasn't certain how much time she spent explaining what she saw, but eventually resigned to her fate of waiting on Link to solve whatever problem had arisen. The five of them sat in a circle, discussing their recent adventures and expectantly glancing back at the barrier on occasion, though they never touched the subject of Zant's betrayal. Gale, Ooccoo, and her son knew to wait for their two companions to bring it up themselves.

"If Link takes the Master Sword here," said Oocoo, pacing on her little legs around her spot, "what is our plan?"

"We need to look for the Mirror of Twilight," Maeva answered immediately, glancing at Midna for support. The imp nodded. "Only through it can we return to our realm and confront Zant."

"You want to go back that monster?" gasped Ooccoo Junior.

"We have to," said Midna. "While Zant lives, my—our people and the people of Hyrule will continue to suffer. The Twilight is lifted now, but he can just as easily submerge this realm again."

Ooccoo appeared to share her son's opinion of the plan. "I understand what a confrontation would mean for all of us, but you saw for yourself what happened in Lanayru's Temple, dear," she shuddered at the memory. "Why, even a Light Spirit couldn't withstand his power!"

"He wiped the floor with a Light Spirit," Gale flatly agreed. "And you want to confront him?"

Ooccoo Junior saw Maeva's slumping shoulders and steeled himself. "W-We can beat him!" he said, flitting around Gale and his mother. "He hurt Maeva and Midna and turned Link back into a wolf! It doesn't matter if it was an accident," he loudly whispered to Maeva, who shook her head in embarrassment. "We have the Fused Shadow, right? If we can just sneak up on him, we can do it!"

"The truth is," said Midna, "I wasn't sure where to go from the Mirror. But that's a good plan."

"My only question is how," Maeva admitted, gnawning on her lower lip, "because Zant spoke as though he knew our every move."

The air grew cold with Gale's sigh. "What if…"

She was cut short by Ooccoo Junior's elated cheer. The wall had faded, and the statues, lights from their markings fading, bowed for Link. They all forgot the question as they leapt to him in amazement—even Maeva. The wolf himself barked excitedly. The others imagined that he was attempting to tell the story of what exactly he had done to clear the path until Gale reminded him that they could not understand a word and acting it out was, evidently, futile.

Up a new, winding path from behind the statues stood the blade of evil's bane, preserved through time in a simple pedestal only slightly wider than its cross-guard. The place shared a certain quality with the sacred grove, like emotions and thoughts suppressed from a time long past had stayed here to impress what was left behind to those still living. It sounded like murmurs in the leaves and songs of old drifting with the breeze.

It was an eerie thought, unhelped by Maeva's sudden anxiety regarding the sword. She knew it would help Link, but at the same time she felt that she hated the very sight of it. Maeva shook it off, though the tingle, the thrum in her left shoulder did not disappear as easily. The fear of the Sword was unnatural, so she tempered the emotion she was now certain was not even hers. It must have been an effect of this place.

Was it perhaps the blade itself that hated her for what she was? She knew nothing, except that it was a holy place. With the others, she knelt before the sword and humbly understood that the very goddesses who created the realms had seen this sword, melded it with their own hands.

"Wait," called Midna. "If you're going to transform back—you should probably have your clothes on. Maeva?"

Maeva almost laughed, but refrained from doing so as she helped Link into his Hero's Clothing. It felt so silly slipping a wolf's paws into his own sleeves, but she managed without so much as a snicker. Link gave her face a grateful lick despite the crinkling of her eyes in her attempts not to start guffawing.

Link approached the pedestal. Just then, the blade emitted a bright light, blinding all in its presence as a whirlwind took up, gusting like the very breath of the goddesses whispering their approval.

He raised the Master Sword in the air, eyes filled with wonder focused on the steel glinting in the sunlight. Maeva watched him as soon as they were able, a heavy pounding in her chest. She could not remove her eyes from him; nor did she notice her mouth drying. If there ever had lived a Hero mighty enough to defeat wicked sorcerers with but his cloth and a blade, here he was.

"Wasn't that amazing?" Ooccoo Junior prodded for the umpteenth time, bouncing his chin on Maeva's shoulder.

"Are you all right there, Maeva?" Gale made a sound of clearing her throat.

"Yes. Yes," she answered them both, glancing at their other companions and hoping they hadn't noticed. Relief was the order of the day when she saw that Midna was nodding proudly with Ooccoo while the young oocca continued to delight in the transformation, completely overlooking her.

"I was just thinking," continued Maeva.

The group's attention transferred to her. Link lowered the sword, his free hand tracing the steel in awe. "About what?"

"We do have a way to defeat Zant. You."

Link blinked, and then smiled. Maeva was still taken aback, but she was glad to return it and approached when he beckoned.

"What is it?" she considered pulling her arm away as he sheathed his sword to place his hand around her wrist and press a thumb on her palm, but Maeva was frozen.

Link released her, opening and closing his fists. "For a second," he laughed, wiggling his fingers, "I thought I'd never get these back again. Thank you, Maeva."

"It wasn't just me," she mumbled, and hated herself for doing so. She had thought the mumbling would end when she became friends with Link, for she no longer felt apprehension towards him. Just then it had been that same feeling—but about embarrassing herself. Could she never relax in his presence? Maeva forced herself to sound natural. "But it is good you're back – even if your other form had its uses." Like scaring Shad. She had liked that very much.

"Which is why we're keeping the stone," said Midna, holding it before them before allowing it to retreat within herself.

"What? _Why_?" asked Maeva, more fearful than furious. "It's filled with his hatred. It was painful, even to me."

"Maybe to you. But it's a reminder to me of what we need to vanquish. I'll keep it for all of us. Any objections?"

"If that is your wish," Maeva acquiesced, but the decision had upset her enough into silence. Ooccoo sat on her head as she made her way to the exit. Maybe she would think clearly again once she was outside the influence of this old magic.

Her footsteps slowed, halted when she saw a shadow under the arch, large and frozen like the statue of a great knight himself. Except he was dressed like a rancher, jaw hanging, a golden chicken nestled in his arms. When Ooccoo tilted her head curiously at the lad, so did he.

Link followed soon enough, frowning at the scene upon which he came. Mostly for confusion.

"Fado?" he asked, "What are you doing here?"

* * *

><p>So, what did you think? I really like Uli, so she just had to make an appearance. I imagine that after Mayor Bo, Uli and Rusl were the ones with enough presence of mind to care for Link after his parents' death. Fado's, too. Yes, I like them mostly because of that head canon of mine. Haha!<p>

Please tell me what you thought of the chapter and review! I'm pretty rusty so I gotta hear what you think.

It's been almost a year, but I'll still reply to the reviews I received after I posted the previous chapter!

**AkaiKurai**: Yeah! One thing I had a problem with was how Ooccoo Junior could just teleport everywhere. I'm glad you liked the incorporation of that. Hopefully this has revealed more of her past! But just a little more. Haha! Don't worry, there's going to be an entire exposition of that later. Er, eventually. Haha! Yeah, I agree about Ilia! I disliked her mostly because she was nagging at Link about Epona, then got kidnapped. It was inevitable though, her being the female in Link's age group.

**Blitzi**: It's all right that you didn't review the first few chapters! And I love long reviews! Whether it's just to discuss a certain topic or your thoughts about something. I need feedback so don't hold back. Tell me which grammatical errors you find, too! It's not offensive, it's helpful. :) I'm glad you like Link's personality! I have a hard time tilting him between his actual serious side and his outward cheeriness. In my mind, he actually is easygoing despite how he grew up an orphan, but he did take on more responsibility than a child should, so I thought it should come out in moments of crisis.

I'm just splitting up the paragraph because I don't want your eyes to get blurry from a big block, but thanks for that piece of feedback on Chapter 5! I read back and realized that Maeva does indeed get into a lot of trouble. But though she is good at combat, she has had very little field experience. It'll be explained later. Haha! It's so cool that you grew up with horses! Maeva doesn't know much about horses because beasts were utterly foreign to her until she came to the light realm, so she would have crazy inferences about them that may be false. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

**rainrushingwindowpain**: I liked both Riku and Sora for their differing personalities, but I agree that I always saw Riku with more romance potential than Sora. Sora always felt like a little brother type because he was so cheerful and Riku was more of a love interest type with his sexy brooding self. So I guess I agree with you! Haha! I'm so happy you like my writing style! Or maybe you did a year ago. XD I get confused about the voice I'm supposed to be using sometimes and am always reading back to remember how to write these chapters, so thanks for the support. I'm honored that you think this is a great Link/OC fic because I'm sure there are many great ones out there! (Not that I'd know. I've deprived myself of Link/OC fics for years so that I don't get influenced/accidentally steal an idea.) Anyway! thank you for the review and I hope you still feel the same about the story after reading this chapter. Tell me what you thought!

**whosahassa**: Thanks for the feedback! I'm sorry I sounded defensive in my previous chapter. It's just my silly pride. But I totally understand what you mean. If this was written by someone else and I read it, I think I would have had the same opinion as you. But again, thanks for letting me know your opinion on events like that! I am genuinely glad to hear a reader's opinion on things and know I have to set apart my writing from me. :)) Also, I'm happy how you felt about Ilia's portrayal here! I haven't read other fics, but usually in fics with an OC I know that canon possible love interests usually get skewered in terms of characterization. I wanted to make it clear that it's Maeva's opinion of Ilia that is sour, out of jealousy, and not actually Ilia herself. She's a sweet girl, though I don't really care for her. (It would be Zelda if I had to choose, because I like fighting women. Haha!) As for how Maeva handled Lakebed Temple-tell me how you found it! I always thought of Maeva's dislike for water as something like a 'fear of the unknown' than a true fear because she never had any bad experiences with water that would make her fear getting into it. Her problem is that she didn't know how to survive in it, so once she found a way, she became confident. (But only with the crutch, which was the Zora armor.)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I love reading your long comments and constructive criticism and I hope to hear from you again, or if you're new, then hear from you, _period_. Haha! Stay tuned and I will hopefully update before another year ends! I'm aiming for January, before Christmas break is over. So...

REVIEW! And I hope you're all having a wonderful time now that it's almost Christmas break!


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